Snarky Stark
by geminisonic
Summary: FULLY EDITED & REWRITTEN: Tony Stark has not spoken to his older brother since he made the biggest mistake of his life. Now Tony is ready to patch things up, only, his brother and his wife were killed in a car accident. Tony now finds he is the official guardian of his 7-year-old niece Sadie, who is more than what she seems. Rated for language and some bad parenting.
1. Sadie

Snarky Stark

Tony felt so different. Being on the plane back to America was one of the greatest feelings yet also, one of the most dreadful ones as well. Being held captive for three months can really make a person think. While it sucked being stuck in a cave, he knew the real challenge would be what he had to face coming back to America. The first being to shut down his company's weapon's manufacture. The second would be much harder.

He sighed, thinking about what he would say. No matter how much he thought about it, no words could effectively bring about a suitable apology.

He wondered how Tim was. He hadn't seen him in nearly seven years. Course, he couldn't blame him. He hadn't exactly been a responsible or dependable brother. Hell, he even told Yinsen that he didn't have a family. Thinking about Yinsen brought back a feeling Tony had never really felt before. He only wished he could have thanked the good man properly. He felt the best way was to remember his dying words. " _Don't waste your life."_

He knew he needed to patch things up with his brother and he would do it ASAP.

But first, he had some business to take care of, starting with his sham of a company.

…

"Well, that went well." Tony muttered walking past Pepper towards the car. He'd just finished shutting his company down, amidst a mass protest but could hardly give a care. He knew there would be backlash but at least it was one sin off his list so far. The next was going to be harder.

"Tony!" Pepper followed closely behind him, huffing in frustration and panic, "Wait, maybe you can go back and- "

"Nope, done deal." He said, climbing in the car and waiting for her. In his eyes, he'd done what was needed; press handled, company shutting down.

Pepper sighed and looked toward Obi standing at the doorway and boy did he look fit to be tied. All she could do was shrug apologetically and climb in next to Tony.

"At least now you'll go to a hospital, right?" she asked, settling in.

"Nope, I'm booking my jet to New Haven." He said casually as he stared at his phone.

"New Haven? In Connecticut?" Pepper exclaimed.

Tony nodded.

"Why on earth would you go there?" Pepper asked, exasperated. He'd only been back for an hour and already her stress levels were shooting skyward.

"Yale."

"Tony, seriously, what are you doing?" she asked.

"I'm gonna pay Tim a visit." He said.

Pepper blanched, "Tony…wait…you can't go." She said, looking sad. Her eyes closed as she remembered. It hadn't been that long ago but considering she dealt with so much regarding Tony's return it was the last thing on her mind.

"Why not?" he asked her, "Is there some pressing matter that needs my attention here? Perhaps another angry press?"

She gave Happy a look and he could only stare sadly back at her through the rearview mirror.

"Seriously, am I the only one who's excited for a trip to Yale?" Tony asked, wanting to strangle someone at this point.

"Tony…I was going to wait to tell you…" she said trying to find words. "Tim and his wife, Anna…they died a couple of weeks ago." She finally said.

It was Tony's turn to blanch. Happy started driving quickly to avoid the awkwardness.

"What happened?" Tony asked, feeling a sudden sense of guilt and emptiness.

"It was a car accident. They were killed instantly." She said calmly, "Tony, I'm so sorry." She was tempted to hold his hand but didn't feel he needed that now. He sat back, still in shock. He took a breath then as quick as rain got back to his usual business-like self, "When's the funeral, we should attend."

"It was last week." She said, avoiding his eyes.

"Great, no one wanted to wait for me. Even in death I'm still not invited to his shindigs." He grumbled. Pepper knew this was Tony's way of grieving, but she needed to tell him before he just rushed off to do the next harebrained thing.

"There's something else." She said.

"Great. Someone else I should know about who had a funeral maybe last year?" he asked nastily.

"Tony…" she warned.

He rolled his eyes but managed to stay quiet, so she could finish.

"Your niece is on her way here."

"I have a niece?" he looked stunned, "Since when?"

Pepper felt she could gladly return the attitude, "Well…she's only seven, so…"

"Ha-ha." Tony said, slumping back in his seat, "So why is she coming here?" he asked.

"You're her only guardian. Her mom didn't have a family, or at least that's what I was told. You were in the will."

"Wow, my brother did have a heart. Or maybe not." Tony grumbled.

Pepper sighed, "To be honest, I hesitated even telling them that you were back. But they said she was in a foster home and wasn't doing well…I figured…at least you're her family and- "

"I only just got back! Couldn't you have mentioned this sooner?" he sighed, his head in his hand in exasperation. This was the last thing he wanted; a dead brother and a kid in his care.

"I'm sorry but, she was really struggling, and they were relieved to hear you were home. I couldn't say no." She explained

Tony finally looked her in the eye, "Is she hurt?"

"No, but Tony, she just lost her parents and almost lost her uncle."

He nodded, "Ok, so we have an orphan on her way here and I'm practically public enemy number one. Can my day get any worse?"

Pepper looked up, "I sold one of your cars."

Tony was about to shout until he saw her grin.

"Gotcha." That will teach him to get snarky with her.

…

Tony had never been happier to be home. He walked in only to find a nauseating display of flowers covering his living room. He rolled his eyes. Yeah nothing says "sorry you were kidnapped and tortured, glad you're home" like flowers. He walked around and was even more relieved to hear his favorite voice come on.

"Welcome back, sir. It is wonderful to have you home."

"Hey Jarvis. Missed you too." He said.

"I have received many files regarding Miss Stark. Shall I store them in our home network?"

"Sounds good." Tony shrugged. Jeez, even his freaking house was aware of his niece coming by.

He didn't even know where to put her. His guest rooms weren't exactly kid friendly. He decided to see if at least one of them looked decent enough.

He walked past the kitchen towards the main floor guest room but paused when he turned on the light; The room had been repainted and redecorated.

"Jarvis, who broke into my house?!" he practically roared.

"I have no record of a break in, sir."

"Then why is my guest room the color of a peach?"

"Miss Potts organized a redecorating for your niece's arrival."

"How did she even know about my niece coming here before today?"

"She's known for some time and wanted to be prepared. She was sure you'd be found sir. And you were, if I'm not mistaken."

"Yeah…guess I was." Tony mumbled, impressed at Pepper's devotion.

He looked around the guest room and had to admit that Pepper had taste; of course, that is one of the reasons he hired her. The walls were a bright peach color and looked gorgeous as the sunset through the wall-sized window came through. The furniture was kid-sized and white and there was plenty of room for toys and clothes. Even the connecting bathroom had been redone for a kid with a butterfly theme.

He shook his head, smiling as he closed the door.

He felt bored waiting around and paced his whole house, wanting like hell to get started on his new project but also wanting to be ready for his niece to come. He'd concluded that just because his brother died before he could apologize didn't mean he couldn't make it up to his kid.

He was on his seventh lap walking around the couch when Jarvis spoke, "Sir, Miss Potts has arrived with Children Services."

"Show time." Tony grumbled, turning towards the walkway. He looked at the clock and realized it was 8pm. He suddenly wanted nothing more than to sleep, or work…or do anything but this.

"Tony?" Pepper's voice came in through the front.

Tony watched as Pepper came in with a nicely dressed woman carrying a briefcase and holding the hand of his seven-year-old niece.

He could tell she was exhausted but the minute he laid eyes on her there was no mistaking that she was a Stark. Her hair was the exact same shade of brown he and his brother were known for, only hers was thin and fell messily to her shoulders. She was a tiny thing, skinny, and pale. Tony figured it was just from all the chaos from the last few weeks and couldn't blame her. He could hardly see her face as she stared at the floor, her hair covering her eyes.

"Sadie," the lady holding her had said, softly, "This is Mr. Tony Stark, your father's brother."

Tony waited with almost bated breath, though he didn't know why, as she finally looked up at him. He did a double take as the biggest, most gorgeous brown eyes he'd ever seen met his. He didn't recall Tim nor Anna having brown eyes but either way, there was no doubting she took after the Stark family in appearance. He managed to tear his eyes away for a moment to notice how sunken she appeared, with dark circles underneath her eye that signified her experience. He had a feeling, like him, that she'd had a lot to endure in the past two weeks.

"Mr. Stark?" The lady said quietly, interrupting his thoughts.

He finally managed to take his eyes off his rather adorable niece for a minute to walk forward and shake her hand.

"I'm Lizzie McKinley, I work for Children Services. It's good to meet you."

"Thanks." Tony nodded. The lady was young, not his type really, but she had a kind face at least.

"Sadie did very well during her trip here, her caseworker, Ms. Heller, couldn't bring her but plans to stop by in the next couple of weeks to be sure she's settling in."

Tony nodded, but had to wonder why, "I thought that since I'm her family…we didn't need that kind of thing."

Lizzie merely smiled, "There's a lot to do before an adoption could be considered. Home inspections, interviews, court appearances. It's quite a process, even for families, to get custody of a child.

Tony almost told the lady to take the kid and go, why on earth would they even bother him about taking her if it took all that time and energy just to keep her? Not to mention he had to think about school and a million other things kids required.

As he thought that, however, he snuck another glance at Sadie and could tell that she needed him. He sucked as a brother, a son, and hell, as a friend, but maybe he could turn out to be a pretty decent uncle. And besides, he had money and Pepper. He could make it work. At least he hoped he could.

"We will certainly do our best to abide with Children Services." Pepper finally broke in.

Tony nodded with a half grin and noticed Sadie relaxed for just a moment but still looked sickly. "Wonderful, I have no doubt she'll be fine. Call us if you need anything." Lizzie smiled and then turned to Sadie, "You be good, okay?"

Sadie nodded weakly and let go of the woman's hand who walked towards the front where Pepper led her out and continued a professional conversation that Tony could care less about. However now that they had walked away, he was left alone with his niece in a quiet living room and no way of knowing how to even talk to her.

He finally managed to meet Sadie's eyes and noticed she too was looking him over with curiosity. She cocked her head to the side slightly and Tony found he was mimicking her.

They were silent for a while longer and she began to take in his house, looking around nervously, but never once left her spot.

She fidgeted with something in her hands and he noticed that it was a brown stuffed bear with a pink bow on it.

"Nice bear. What's his name?" he asked, hoping these were the questions kids liked.

She jumped a little and stared at him, not even opening her mouth to speak.

He tried again, "It's Sadie, right?" he hoped she'd at least make a sound.

She just stood there and nodded before looking around again.

Tony was about to give up when she coughed suddenly, it sounded painful and almost wheezy.

"You okay? You need some water?" he asked her, praying that at least she would say one little thing.

She shook her head and resumed looking around once more.

He prayed for patience and finally just followed her lead, looking around. As he did he realized he hadn't realized that someone had neglected to clean his rooftop windows.

He blew out an exasperated sigh, realizing how epically he'd failed to even get his niece to work when she finally muttered something quietly.

He looked at her, but she avoided his eyes, "Sorry?" he asked.

"Water?" she asked quickly.

"Oh!" he sputtered, "Yeah, this way." He told her, leading the way to the kitchen. He wasn't sure if she had followed him or not but was relieved when he turned around and she was indeed following. He took a minute to reassess where his glasses were and opened the first cupboard he saw, cursing it was not even remotely close to what he wanted.

Pepper came back, giving him a weird look.

He merely returned it, "I'm just getting Sadie a glass of water."

Pepper rolled her eyes and pointed to the cupboard across the kitchen that held glasses.

He quickly walked to it and went to work getting her some water.

Pepper came over then and smiled down at Sadie, "Your room is just over there, sweetie, close to the kitchen, so don't hesitate to find a snack or get a drink at any time."

Tony was also glad her room was close to the kitchen. He didn't have to worry about her getting up at night trying to find food or bothering him in the process.

He handed her the water and Happy came in carrying some luggage. He smiled kindly at Sadie before turning to them, "Where should I put these?" he asked.

"You can put them in her room." Pepper responded, leading the way. Sadie drank a sip of water and then placed it carefully on the counter before following. At least she seemed comfortable.

"Here it is! I hope you like it." Pepper told her with a smile. Sadie walked in and looked around.

"This bathroom is all yours, the windows can tint if it's too bright, and I made sure to include a nightlight in case you need it."

"She knows about Jarvis?" Tony asked her.

"Who?" Sadie asked with a puzzled expression.

"Jarvis runs the house," Pepper explained, "He'll help you with anything you may need."

Sadie walked in and Pepper went to a glass nightstand by her bed and quickly pressed it. Much like Tony's lab, she'd made sure to give Sadie access to things in the house.

"If you need help at all, you can press this, and Jarvis will find Tony for you." Pepper explained.

Sadie fiddled for a minute with it and nodded in understanding.

"I made sure to give you a code to anywhere in the house if you need anything." Pepper continued.

"What is her code?" Tony asked.

"BEAR" Pepper said.

"Gotcha. Should be simple. You can spell right?" he asked Sadie.

She glared at him, confirming his belief that eyes could indeed kill.

"I also have my contact information in the system, so you can call me anytime, anywhere." Pepper told her quickly, ignoring the obvious awkwardness between the two.

Happy clapped his hands in finality and looked at all of them, "You need anything else?" he asked.

"The moving company will bring the rest of her things tomorrow afternoon." Pepper said, "So we'll need some help with that."

"Sure thing. Night everyone." He called, leaving, making sure to wave to Sadie who waved back shyly.

"Any questions, Sadie? I know you're probably tired." Pepper asked.

Sadie stood there for a minute, holding her water, but merely shrugged her shoulders, looking down.

"Right, well, holler if you need anything." Tony said, leaving quickly, hoping this endeavor was over for now. Pepper seemed like she had it under control.

As he walked away he heard Pepper speaking quietly to Sadie in the calmest voice ever. To be honest, Pepper would always be better at making sure things were okay in his life, it only made sense she was good at this.

After today, Tony had learned a lot; he had a way of making people mad at him, he always failed his brother, kids were not his thing, and that cheeseburgers always made him feel better.


	2. Insulin

It was two in the morning and Tony was busy modifying his new chest piece when he heard a crash come from somewhere in his house.

"Sir, Miss Stark is in trouble." Jarvis said.

Tony dropped what he was doing and ran upstairs. He found Sadie in the kitchen huddled in a corner, looking terrified. He looked over and found a broken glass on the floor.

"What's wrong? You hurt?" he asked looking around, "Jarvis, check the security!" he ordered.

"No one has entered the perimeter, sir." Jarvis said.

Sadie squeaked, looking around frantically.

"What happened?" Tony asked.

Sadie stared at him with a horrified look on her face. She was panting heavily, and she finally swallowed and choked out, "Y-you have a ghost."

At first, Tony wasn't sure he heard her right. And when he realized he had, he couldn't help it, he cracked up.

It didn't help that she looked so devastated, hell it made the whole thing even more hilarious.

When he finished getting over the initial hilarity of her statement, he finally asked her, trying hard not to chuckle, "What makes you think I have a ghost?" he snorted

"That voice…" she whispered, practically sobbing, "I was getting some water and it said my name and asked if I needed help and when you came it talked to you, but there's nobody here!" she cried.

He tried to look serious, but for the life of him couldn't. He just laughed outright in her face again. He wiped his eyes, "Oh, kid…no…that's not…" he kept laughing between words. He finally calmed down when he saw she genuinely upset. He cleared his throat to regain some composure, "That's Jarvis. Remember? He's a program I developed to help me out when I need him."

"I thought Jarvis was a person" she squeaked out.

"Nah, just a…disembodied voice really." He shrugged.

She calmed down a little and visibly relaxed.

"You gonna be okay?" he asked, helping her up.

"Uh-huh." She said, wiping her eyes, "No ghost?" she asked seriously

"No ghosts." He promised.

She nodded, and Tony decided to clean the glass up.

As he picked up the glass and swept around the spot he saw her find a seat at his gigantic glass kitchen table.

"Couldn't sleep?" he finally asked.

She shook her head.

"Me neither." He admitted.

She sighed loudly, and Tony shook his head grinning. He remembered when he and Tim used to make those loud obnoxious sighs whenever they pissed each other off, whether it was Tony bragging about his latest invention or Tim boasting about his glorious history essay.

He finally sat down opposite her at the table, tapping his fingers in boredom.

He studied her, and she seemed to be doing the same.

As he did he noticed how heavily she breathed, her whole body moved with each inhale and exhale. It seemed odd, but he decided not to think about it too much. Kids were weird after all.

"So, what do you wanna do?" he asked.

She shrugged.

Tony thought about it, wondering what to do with her. He really needed to get his chest piece done if he wanted to live for another few years and start his newest project. But it didn't look like she would be going to bed any time soon and he really didn't feel like entertaining her for a few hours.

"Tell you what," he finally said, "you can come watch TV down in the work room. Just don't bother me while I'm working, okay?"

She nodded.

He walked gracefully down the stairs and looked behind him. He was stunned at how slow she was. She took her time on each step and a part of him grew concerned rather than annoyed, "Did you step in any glass?" he asked.

She looked up and shook her head, puzzled.

Tony didn't know what else to think, so he simply waited.

She finally reached the bottom, taking a deep breath, and then came up behind him. As he was pushing in his code, he looked down and noticed something else; attached to the waistband of her capris was a silver box. He could see numbers on the tiny screen. It only caught his eye because she was wearing a bright pink night shirt with matching pants and the device was such a contrast in color.

"Is that a cassette player?" he asked. Not sure what else it could be.

She looked down then back up in bewilderment.

"For music." He explained.

She gave him a look to suggest he was a complete dumbass and walked by him silently.

"What's it for?" he asked.

If she heard him, she was ignoring him. She merely found a seat on his couch and turned on the TV. He flipped through some channels and finally found some cartoons.

"Go nuts." He said, handing her the remote.

After that, he was set to finish his chest piece and begin his new special project that was going to change his world.

…

Tony had finally finished his chest piece and was waiting for Jarvis to do diagnostics on it. He was about to go check on Sadie when he turned around only to realize that she was standing right there.

"Jeez kid! Don't do that." He gasped, "You okay?"

He looked around and saw it was only five in the morning. She probably fell asleep watching cartoons and just woke up.

She stood there for a moment and shook her head. He noticed how dark the bags under her eyes looked and could tell she was having trouble breathing right.

"Kid, you don't look so good." He commented.

"Insulin." She said in a breathy voice.

"What?" he asked, not sure what she was talking about.

"Insu-" she gasped out before she began to shake violently, collapsing to the floor as she did.

"Holy-!" Tony yelled, getting up, "Jarvis! What's going on?" he yelled.

"Shall I connect to an emergency hospital, sir?" Jarvis asked.

"Uh…" Tony ground out, at a loss for what to do.

Sadie was wide-eyed on the floor, shaking. She stared up at him with blank eyes, full of fear and helplessness. Her breathing was rapid and shallow. Amidst her shaking he realized that something was making a buzzing sound.

He looked closer and saw it was coming from the device on her pants. He disengaged it from her waistband and saw a wire under her shirt connected to it. He lifted her shirt and realized the device was attached to the side of her body. He stared at the device, trying to figure out why it was buzzing and what the numbers meant.

"Jarvis, what is this?" Tony asked.

"Sir, it appears to be an insulin pump." Jarvis said, a picture of the same device showed on the screen, "She seems to have a high level of insulin at the moment."

"Okay, so…what?" Tony yelled, getting flustered.

"According to my resources, some medication or some sugar will help. Juice is the appropriate method."

"Juice…right!" Tony sprang up and ran to his mini fridge, finally finding some bottled orange juice. He unscrewed the cap and tried lifting Sadie up. She flailed her arms and screamed in fear.

"Hey, it's okay!" Tony yelled, trying not to spill the juice, "I'm just giving you some juice!"

She shook her head, trying to fight him off, "N-no! G-Go away!"

He sat her in his lap and finally grabbed her head and tipped it back, shoving the bottle into her mouth, "For your own good!" he grumbled.

She choked and spat out a bit, but he held the bottle firmly on her mouth. She finally took a few swallows and he noticed an immediate change. Her body settled, and she relaxed into his chest. Her breathing was still rapid, but she was at least relaxing. She put her hands up to the bottle to grasp it and took a few more swallows.

Tony finally felt like he could breath as he relaxed his hold on her. He didn't even realize he had been sweating until he felt a chill hit his body.

She finished drinking and gasped for air, "Medicine."

Tony nodded, "Okay…" he was a little shaky at this point, "Where?"

"Room." She panted.

He got up, carrying her quickly up the stairs. Once in her room, he placed her on the bed and rummaged through her stuff. He found a rather large black bag next to her luggage and opened it, hoping it was the right one. It was but the sight of it sent chills up his spine; the thing contained a multitude of pills, syringes, and small devices obviously meant to help someone with a bad illness.

He grabbed the whole bag and put it on the bed, praying she could tell him what to do, "You know which ones to take?" he asked her.

"All…them." She whispered, weakly.

"All of them?!" he gasped, "Kid, that's a lot…"

She coughed, and he realized that now wasn't the best time to point out that she was a child taking what looked like a whole pharmacy. He ran to the fridge to pull out the bottled water and quickly unscrewed it as he ran to her. Bit by bit she downed every pill with his help.

Once they had finished that process, he decided to look inside the bag and see just what he was dealing with.

He picked up a black zip clutch bag and opened it. Inside he found vials and syringes.

"Insulin injections." She whispered.

He put it down, then picked up another device.

"Blood meter." She whispered again.

He didn't have the heart to explore any more at this point, he was feeling almost as weak and tired as she was, and he still hadn't installed his new chest piece.

He'd have to figure out what kind of mess his brother left him later.

Sadie was looking a lot better but was tired.

"Umm…I'll let you sleep." He muttered, getting her things off the bed, "Are you going to be okay now?"

She nodded and closed her eyes.

He didn't know what else to do so he just quickly put a blanket over her and told Jarvis to darken the room.

She suddenly gasped and yelled out, "Too dark!"

"Uh…night light Jarvis!" Tony said quickly. He just wanted to get out of there quickly before he had a panic attack.

A bunch of colorful butterflies lit up the room as they rotated across the walls. Tony would have enjoyed the peaceful display for a second, but the ordeal he just faced made his heart continue to race and his hands clammy.

Sadie closed her eyes and Tony finally had his chance to leave.

Once out of the room, he vowed to look at her files as soon as he had the chance. There was something not right with Sadie and he needed to figure out what.

…

Pepper was cleaning her hands at the sink from all the gunk in Tony's chest piece. It was close to 10 am and she hadn't seen Sadie yet. She was just glad Sadie hadn't had to see her sticking her hand in Tony's chest, that for sure would have traumatized the poor thing.

She was about to sit down and start working when she heard Sadie's door open by the kitchen.

Sadie came out rubbing her eyes and walked towards the kitchen cupboards. Pepper was glad she felt comfortable to get herself what she needed.

"Hey Sadie!" Pepper smiled over at her, "Did you sleep okay?" she asked.

Sadie looked over at her and shrugged, looking down shyly.

"Can I get you something to eat?" Pepper asked, getting up to help.

"Can I have some cereal?" Sadie asked politely.

"Sure." Pepper said, grabbing a bowl and spoon. She looked in the cupboard and was annoyed.

"Sorry, Sadie, no cereal, how about eggs." She tried.

"Okay." Sadie nodded, "Thank you."

Pepper got to work making Sadie a simple egg and was proud of her handiwork. She was just pouring Sadie some juice when Tony came up.

"What about me?" he whined.

"There's a pan on the stove." Pepper joked.

He shook his head and grinned, "Feelin' better kid?" he asked Sadie, going over to her.

She nodded and continued to eat.

"Pep," Tony addressed Pepper, "I'm going to need you to contact a Dr. Hill here in Malibu. We need to set an appointment for Sadie ASAP." He said quickly.

"Why?" Pepper gasped, looking from Sadie to Tony, "Is she okay?" she asked with concern in her voice.

"Not sure." Tony said. Pepper stared at him in annoyance with a hint of panic.

Sadie on the other hand was looking rather annoyed, but just continued eating.

"Okay, I'll get on that quickly." Pepper finally said, "What kind of appointment are you thinking?"

"We're moving all her records to him. Just a meeting and checkup." He explained. While Sadie wasn't looking he gave Pepper a quick, t _ell you more later look._ Pepper didn't argue or say anything. She only prayed Tony hadn't broken his niece in the past twenty-four hours.

Sadie was finally done and politely excused herself as she took her dishes to the sink.

Pepper smiled, "It's nice to have such a polite kid in this house." She commented.

"I'm polite." Tony argued. Pepper raised her eyebrows at him and he backed off, looking sheepish.

…

Tony was still pretty shaken up by all that he had learned about Sadie from Jarvis. Hardly any of it made sense and he was glad he made the call to Dr. Wu in New Haven that morning. He had been Sadie's doctor from the minute she was born, and he had expressed deep concern for Sadie, so he immediately requested Dr. Hill in Malibu.

"I'd trust that man with my life." Dr. Wu had explained to Tony, "He and I went to Harvard Medical together. He's the best child care doctor I've ever seen."

Tony had been satisfied with that and was relieved that Pepper had informed him of the appointment within the afternoon. He didn't know what he'd do without her help, hell, he for sure didn't want to be doing all the work.

In the waiting room, Sadie was very quiet and appeared tired. Looking around he could see a bunch of sick kids, some who were just coughing with illness, some who were obviously in chemotherapy, and some even had tubes attached to them, much like Sadie's insulin pump.

Pepper was starting to think this wasn't just an everyday doctor's visit and felt her heart sinking more and more with each image of the children in the waiting room.

"Tony," She whispered to him, "Why are we here?"

"I need to hear a doctor explain it to me." He said truthfully. Pepper looked around nervously and Tony was relieved when they were called back at that moment.

They made Sadie change into a hospital gown right away and set her comfortably on an examination table that they adjusted to feel like a chair. Both Pepper and Tony watched as they hooked her up to a machine to monitor her heartbeat and blood pressure. While they watched in horror, Sadie looked as though she were used to this kind of treatment.

Tony looked over to see Pepper growing pale, "Green is not your best color." He commented.

"Now is not a good time, Tony!" She whispered angrily, "Look at her! What is all this?" she exclaimed.

The nurse left explaining that Dr. Hill would be by in a few minutes. Pepper took that moment jump on Tony, "What the hell, Tony? What is wrong with her?" she nearly screamed.

"I have heart failure." Sadie explained in the chair. Both turned to her in surprise and noticed she was glaring at them, "Since you're both gonna talk about me, I'll just tell you instead."

"Heart failure?" Pepper gasped.

Sadie sighed and looked at her very much like a parent would to a child, "It means my heart doesn't work the way it's supposed to." She explained calmly.

"What about the insulin thing?" Tony finally asked her, taking that opportunity to at least get an answer to some of his questions.

"I have Type 1 Diabetes. It's from the heart failure. My insulin pump gives me what I need but sometimes it's too much." She said.

Just then a middle-aged man with graying hair came into the room wearing a white coat and smiled at them all.

"Hi everyone!" he said, cheerfully, "I'm Dr. Hill."

"Tony Stark." Tony shook his hand, "And this is my personal assistant, Pepper Potts."

Pepper shook his hand as well.

"Sadie is it?" he asked, going to shake Sadie's hand, "Dr. Wu told me a lot about you. He mentioned you absolutely adore manatees." He grinned.

She grinned back when he mentioned the manatees, relaxing somewhat.

"How we doing today, Sadie? Any problems?" he asked.

"I had an insulin attack this morning." She admitted.

He nodded and patiently listened while she recounted the morning attack.

"I gave her juice." Tony cut in, hoping to be of some help.

"What?!" Pepper explained, "She had an attack and you didn't tell me or call 911?!"

"I was going to let the doctor explain and she's fine." He growled back.

Pepper was about to continue arguing when Dr. Hill interrupted them.

"Why don't you both take a seat and relax a bit. It seems we have a lot to talk about today."

He checked Sadie's levels and nodded in approval before grabbing a stool.

"First off, Sadie," he said, looking at her sympathetically, "I am sorry to hear about your parents. I know this is probably a very tough time right now, but we're gonna make sure you feel as good as possible during this process." He explained.

Sadie nodded sadly and just as quickly, looked away towards the wall.

"I am sorry for your loss as well Mr. Stark." He said just then, turning to Tony.

Tony shrugged and nodded, "Thanks, I'm doing okay, considering…"

"We have a great Child Psychologist here at the hospital if you want to set any appointments." He suggested.

"None for me thanks, I don't exactly agree with the whole, get in your head stuff." Tony admitted.

Dr. Hill laughed, "I was thinking more for Sadie, but, it's not as scary as you think."

"I'd like to know more about that later." Pepper said before Tony could remark, "But first, I feel we're, or rather, I, am a little…in the dark about Sadie' condition." She admitted.

"Well, that's what I'm here for. Tell me, what can I tell you about Sadie that you would like to know?" he asked.

"Uh…everything." Tony admitted.

Dr. Hill chuckled, "New to this, aren't you?"

"That obvious?" he shrugged.

Dr. Hill nodded, "Well, we'll just start from the beginning. For a child to grow and develop, the heart needs to maintain normal pump function to provide optimal blood flow throughout the body. However, Sadie's heart does not function normally and that is the definition of a heart failure."

He continued, "She was born with what we call Over Circulation Failure, and I'll be honest, about 1% of all newborns will have some type of structural heart defects. In Sadie's case there are holes between the right and left chambers in the heart and because of these holes the blue and red bloods start to mix inside the heart. An abnormal heart valve does not properly cause blood to leak backwards. You following me so far?" he paused.

"What does that have to do with the diabetes?" Tony asked.

"Sadie has Type 1 Diabetes and is insulin dependent. We aren't quite sure what came first, really. Chicken-egg sort of deal. But you've already seen an effect of this, apparently. The insulin pump attached to her body regulates automatically the insulin needed to get into her body. However, as you saw, sometimes there can be just a little too much and that's why she needs sugars as well."

He continued, "You should also be aware of her asthma. Because her heart and blood are working overtime, her lungs don't get the help they need, and this causes some breathing trouble. You can tell she's easily tired, weak, and nauseous."

"I saw a ton of devices and medicines. Are all of those even necessary?" Tony asked, still reeling from all this information.

Dr. Hill leaned forward, "From the day she was born, she had surgeries up the wazoo. Not only is she on several medications to help her live, she's had surgeries to try and get her body working like normal for years."

"What kind of surgeries are we talking here?" Tony asked.

"She's had 4 surgeries total. One was to put a catheter in her heart, the other a stent. Then she had to have 2 major open-heart surgeries. Unfortunately, those still didn't do the trick."

"So, you're saying she's due for another surgery?" Pepper asked.

"We'd like to try again, see if we can't really get in there and give her some relief. We're also hoping for a new heart completely." He admitted, "But that is very risky."

Tony nodded.

"Dr. Wu is an amazing doctor and he has done a fine job with Sadie. I'm going to continue to stay in touch and have him help me with her, but I'd like your permission to take some new tests today and have her see a psychologist for some trauma and grief analysis. The sooner we get the ball rolling…"

"I don't need to see a psychologist." Sadie interrupted, "I don't want to or need to talk about anything. I'm fine."

"Are you sure Sadie?" Dr. Hill pressed, "Over time if this stuff builds up, it only gets harder."

"I know, I've seen a counselor before. I just…would rather not right now." She argued.

Dr. Hill considered that, "How about we table that for today, come back to it later. Promise to hear me out when we're ready?" he asked her.

She nodded.

"Okay, then I will take her back for a few small tests, nothing extreme. After that you folks are free to go. Any questions at this time?"

Both Tony and Pepper shook their heads, at a loss for any and all words.

Dr. Hill seemed to understand, "Once she gets home, I'd like her to eat, get some rest, and receive lots of TLC. You call me any time something out of the ordinary happens or if an attack is persistent and happens more than usual. Sound good?"

"Absolutely." Pepper said.

"Okay, Sadie," he smiled, getting up, "Ready to head back?"

Sadie nodded and laid back against the pillow holding her up, staring at the ceiling like she was about to go meditate.

Dr. Hill opened the door and had a nurse come in to collect Sadie.

"We'll be back in a bit." He smiled, "If you have any questions when I get back, don't hesitate to ask."

Pepper nodded and smiled weakly at Sadie as she was wheeled out. Once he closed the door, Tony couldn't help but release the biggest breath he had been holding.

"Oh my God." Pepper said.

"I had no idea." Tony groaned, putting his head in his hands.

"Tony, this isn't your fault." She consoled him.

"No, you're right! It's not! How dare they just throw this kid on me. A kid who has a crap ton of issues!" he yelled.

"Tony- "

"And to never tell me about it ever. I mean, sorry we never spoke, but Jesus!" he stood up and nearly punched a wall.

"Tony, now you can do something about it. You are all she has now. You have to- "

"To what? Be there for her? Pepper, I wasn't even at her own parent's funeral. Hell, I never even went to the wedding or to my own Nobel Peace Prize Award!"

Pepper sighed, "Well now you can be there for her."

Tony sighed and sat down, "I just really don't have time for this." He groaned.

Pepper glared at him, "Well, make time."

"I know absolutely nothing about her. I only just found out her favorite animal is a butterfly."

"Manatee." Pepper corrected.

"SEE?!" Tony shouted.

"Tony, it will take time. But I know you can do it."

He sighed, "I guess I don't have a choice."

"You do, you just have to make the right one."

"Gee, thanks Buddha."

She glared for a second but finally managed a smile for him. Eventually, he was doing the same.


	3. Little Einstein

Tony was in the zone. His new project was really coming along nicely, he wasn't thinking about anything else, and it felt good to keep busy. A week had already passed, and Sadie was officially moved in and settling.

Tony was a little hesitant at looking at schools for Sadie, however. Turns out her medical conditions made it very hard for her to go to school and her mother ended up homeschooling her. Tony didn't know whether to hire a tutor or just ship her off to some school with a nurse. In his opinion, he had bigger things to think about. That was what Pepper was for anyways.

Speak of the devil, just at that moment, Pepper came down with Sadie, interrupting his precious work time. Needless to say, he was a little annoyed.

"What is it? I'm working." He grumbled. His workshop wasn't exactly a playground for kids.

"Tony, I really need to go and get some errands done, she's going to have to stay down here or you're going to have to spend some time with her upstairs." Pepper said, flatly.

Tony just stared at her, "Can't you just- "

"No." Pepper said, and he knew right then and there that she really wasn't going out. She just wanted Tony to spend time with Sadie. He gave her the fiercest glare he could think of and tried another tactic, "Pep, this isn't exactly a safe space for children." He pointed out.

"Then I suggest you do something in a safer environment." She said quickly. Then before he could even try another approach, she turned on her heel and walked away quickly.

"Maybe we should find a babysitter." He called after her. Pepper ignored him and walked out, leaving Sadie standing awkwardly in front of him.

Tony groaned inwardly and blew out a sigh, "TV?" he asked her.

She shook her head.

"Book?" he asked.

Again, she shook her head.

He thought for a minute but was interrupted by his robot, U, knocking over an entire container of scrapped tools.

"U!" he yelled, making Sadie jump, "Sorry." He apologized, "I'm convinced he was dropped on his head as a child." He grumbled.

Sadie grinned a little. Then he was hit with an idea, "Actually, you wanna help me out?" he asked.

She shrugged and nodded.

"See all those scraps he dropped, maybe you can help him sort them."

She gave him a condescending look but walked over anyways. Tony was relieved for the moment, only to turn around five minutes later to Sadie giggling and running around his robot. It was obviously enjoying itself trying to catch her.

"Careful." He grumbled then went back to work. He suddenly heard her squealing and turned around. Sure enough, his dummy robot had caught her, and she was holding on, giggling as it lifted her up and down.

"Wow, you finally found your true calling, U…babysitter." He muttered, continuing his work.

He was becoming frustrated with a formula. JARVIS wasn't computing it, arguing with him about it and he was truly ready to hurtle something at the computer until Sadie interrupted him.

"Finished." She said, smiling proudly but panting a little heavily.

"You should sit down, kid, I think the babysitter wore you out." He commented.

She seemed to fume at that, "I'm not a baby." She argued.

"What do you call and underage kid who can't stay home alone?" he taunted, "Baby? You're correct." He shot back.

"At least I'm not an adult who needs an assistant because I can't remember my phone number." She shot back.

He couldn't help but admire that she had some spunk but decided not to play her game and settled for rolling his eyes instead.

She smirked a little and turned to his screen. She frowned looking at it, her eyebrows furrowed.

"Keep staring at the screen like that kid then maybe you'll actually fix my problem." He grumbled, turning to take a sip of coffee.

Just then, Sadie crawled up onto his desk and stood up. She carefully balanced herself before blatantly erasing numbers on his equation and writing something down."

"KID! That's not a coloring book!" he shouted angrily, standing up. He quickly plucked her off the desk, grumbling, "Don't mess with my stuff, okay?"

"Calculating, sir…" Jarvis said out of the blue, "accepted."

Tony turned and stared at the formula. He couldn't believe what he was seeing. He turned and found a smug looking seven-year-old grinning at him, hands on her hips.

"What did you do?" he quickly asked.

She shrugged, "I don't know. I'm just a baby." She turned on her heel and walked back towards his robot, giggling at it.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa! Stop! Now!" he called as she continued to ignore him and played with his robot. He finally walked over to her, "Seriously, what did you do? I had that all worked out and you…"

"Fixed it?" she finished with a smirk.

"Yeah…" He said quickly then took her hand, dragging her back over, "Come here, show me what you did, and how you did it."

She sighed then pointed to the screen and explained to him what he missed.

He had to keep from swearing; she spoke like a physics professor at MIT. And the kid was only seven! He could only stare at her in astonishment.

"How are you so good at this?" he had to wonder.

"I got bored sitting in bed a lot." She shrugged, "I just really like physics."

"So, you mastered science at a level worthy of a graduate student?" he asked. She raised her eyebrows, looking confused.

"Meaning, you're a genius." He finally said, quickly.

"I don't know." She sighed, looking away.

"Man, your parents were proud I bet." He said, nodding to himself. If she were his kid, and in some way, she was now, he'd be impressed. Hell, he was impressed.

She shook her head sadly, "They didn't like it." She said quietly.

"What?" he gasped, not sure he heard her correctly.

She nodded, "They said that science was bad and useless, that I shouldn't focus on it and that I should just work on getting better." She said sadly as she continued to stare at the wall.

"Science isn't bad. Why would they say that?" he asked.

She gave him a quick look and it hit him.

"They didn't want you to be like me." He said quietly.

He turned to sit down and sighed. She looked down embarrassed as well as sad and he couldn't blame her. Because of him, she was probably considered a hazard. And just for liking science as much as he did.

"I think they're mad that I'm here." She said, "They didn't like you very much." She whispered, still looking embarrassed as she leaned against his desk.

"No, they didn't" he agreed, "But, that's not your fault." He quickly added.

She was silent for a while as she stared at the screen, lost in thought as she remembered her parents.

"I did something pretty stupid." He admitted, "But again, it has nothing to do with you and I think it's pretty cool that you like science."

She gave him a fleeting look, "Cool?"

"Yeah, I mean, look what science got me?"

She looked around and grinned, "You have a robot."

"Yeah, and I mean, with science you can make a robot." He said.

She brightened up, "Really?"

"Yeah, science is a lot cooler than you think, course, so is having the money to use science, but- "

"Can you teach me to build a robot?" she asked.

Tony was stunned, he'd never had a kid come up to him and ask him that.

"Actually, I'm in the middle of something- "he stopped when he saw her crestfallen face and it once again confirmed that her eyes would be the death of the innocent bystander who naively looked deeply into them.

He couldn't help it, he relented, "Tell you what, if you help me build my suit, I'll help you build a robot."

She brightened and grinned, "Really?!"

He nodded, and they shook hands on it.

"What are you building?" she asked finally, looking at the screen.

"I'll show you." He said opening his documents and showing her his Mark II design. She gasped.

"That is a robot!" she said, smiling.

"Actually, I'm going to wear it. It's a suit." He explained.

She looked from him to the picture, "Why?"

He shrugged, "Hobby."

She grinned and nodded, "What can I do?"

….

Pepper came down and was stunned to see Sadie lying on Tony's desk, relaxed and helping him with something. They were so intent on what they were doing they didn't even notice her.

"Sadie?" she called, hating herself for interrupting their moment.

Sadie turned and smiled at her.

Tony looked up, "Uh, she's busy." He said quickly.

Pepper grinned, "Actually it's time for her medicine." She said, looking a little sad.

Sadie's face fell, but she nodded, and Tony helped her hop down.

"Can I come back?" she asked Pepper, who gave Tony a threatening look, not that he needed it.

"If you hurry, sure." Tony said, "I won't finish without you."

Sadie bolted, and Pepper had to rush to keep up with her. Tony chuckled to himself. Since when did he enjoy the company of a kid? Then again, Sadie had to be the smartest kid he'd ever met. She caught on to Arc Reactor Technology faster than any scientist at his factory. Not only that, she understood how things worked and predicted any setbacks from any equation. He couldn't believe his brother never told him about her. Well, he could believe it, but still.

Sadie came back down, and Pepper followed carrying a box of pizza.

"Pepper got us pizza!" Sadie said, happily.

"Pepperoni?" he asked, winking at Pepper, who only grinned, shoving the box at him playfully.

"Well, I'm gonna head home. Sadie, bed by 9, okay?" Pepper instructed. Sadie nodded and hugged her.

"Curfews suck." Tony chuckled, opening the box, "You took a slice?" he gasped.

Pepper winked and walked out.

Tony shook his head then saw Sadie grinning at him.

"What?" he asked, putting the box on the table and going to the bar area to get some plates.

Sadie merely giggled and shook her head innocently.

He ignored her and put some pizza on a plate for her. Sadie had a coughing fit for a moment, but Tony was glad it passed quickly.

They both sat down and ate some pizza in silence for a while.

"So what else do you do?" Tony finally asked, mouth full of pizza.

She swallowed, "You should chew your food and swallow before you speak." She said in all seriousness.

Tony nearly choked at her audacity. This kid knew how to throw some serious punches.

He narrowed his eyes, took a dramatic swallow. She grinned.

"Better?" he asked sarcastically.

"Much." She said, giving it right back.

"What else do you like to do?" he asked again.

She frowned and thought for a moment, "I used to read a lot." She shrugged, then smiled, "I also like when they bring dogs to the hospital."

"They let dogs in the hospital? Since when?" Tony asked.

"They're therapy dogs. Some of the kids with health problems own dogs that take care of them. And other people bring in dogs that just sit with you."

"That's cool." Tony admitted.

"I had a friend at the hospital in New Haven. Her parents took all of us to the zoo with her dog. He could tell when she was having a seizure, so she stayed safe."

"A dog can predict that?"

She nodded, "They're very smart."

Tony grinned and finished eating, "So why manatees?" he asked.

She smiled, "When I went to the zoo, there were these manatees' swimming and eating lettuce. They're funny looking but they're stuck in a zoo because they've been hurt a lot and have to get better. I guess I understood that."

"Oh yeah, those big sea critters are always getting run over." Tony mumbled.

"It's very sad."

Tony nodded. He could relate to the damage done by machinery. Granted it was his machinery that caused his injury, but it went to show how vulnerable anyone could be. He had a feeling Sadie understood the meaning of pain and scars. He had yet to even see hers.

"Do you have scars?" he decided to ask.

She gave him a look.

"From the surgery." He clarified.

She nodded, then continued eating.

He had a feeling that was a sore subject for her. She seemed to hesitate for a moment before looking up at him, "Can I ask you something?"

"Sure." He shrugged, it was probably a no-brainer anyways.

"Why did my parents hate you?" she asked quickly.

Tony was floored for a minute. He wasn't sure this was a conversation a kid should even have at this age. Not only that, it was embarrassing, and he had a feeling she would hate him if he told her.

"Some other day, kid." He said, wiping his face with a napkin.

She looked a little embarrassed but nodded and finished eating.

He looked at the clock and realized it was already late. He wasn't even close to getting his leg piece finished for the night. He knew Sadie would want to finish it with him, but he had to get it done.

"Well, kid, I think you should call it a night and help me tomorrow."

"But we're not done!" she argued.

"Yeah, I'll finish tonight and then you can tell me if I did anything wrong tomorrow." He grinned, "Plus, tomorrow we're working with fire and other cool stuff."

She brightened somewhat at that and got down from her seat.

"Well, good night." Tony said, turning to continue his work, then realized she was still standing there, looking awkward.

"Need something?" he asked.

"Can you put me to bed?" she asked, shyly.

"Uh…can't you do it yourself?" he asked.

She looked down, "Okay." She mumbled, turning to leave.

Tony suddenly felt kind of bad. He grumbled to himself, then decided to blame it on her damn eyes and cuteness for getting to him.

"Um…kid." He called.

She stopped and turned around, looking hopeful.

He sighed, rubbing the back of his neck, "I guess I'm going upstairs to get some coffee anyways, so I'll just make sure you get to your room."

She smiled and waited for him to catch up to her. He reached the stairs and she gave them a very foreboding look, then took a deep breath, ready to climb each one. By the time Tony was on the seventh step, she was still on the second, looking exhausted. He gave in, looking at his watch.

He turned around and bent to pick her up, but she squealed nervously, so he backed off, raising his arms in surrender.

"Sorry, just…trying to help." He tried.

She hugged herself and shook her head, "I want to do it." She said, angrily, glaring at him.

"Okay, I get it…" he said, sighing.

She took a breath and kept climbing. Tony followed her slowly, pausing on each step with her. They were halfway there, and he could swear she was sweating a little. She finally started panting and then gave him a defeated look and nodded, "Okay…you can carry me now."

He gently lifted her and was surprised at how light she was. He also noted that he couldn't even feel her heartbeat. He realized it was just a very abnormal beat, shallow and light.

She suddenly gave him a look and looked down at his chest.

"What's that?" she asked.

He'd forgotten that he hadn't shown her his chest piece yet. He hadn't even mentioned it to her, being he didn't want to scare her.

"Oh, that's what I was telling you about earlier. Arc Reactor Technology." He explained.

She continued to stare at his chest curiously. He was glad they reached her room. He put her on the bed and she went to get her PJ's on.

He was about to leave when he saw a picture of his brother, his brother's wife Anna, and Sadie in a family photo on her night stand. Sadie was getting changed in the bathroom, so he took that moment to just look at his brother.

Tim hadn't changed much from when they still spoke to one another. He and Tony always did look similar in many ways. Tony liked the picture, they were all so happy together and no one would even guess that they were dealing with a very sick child. Maybe it was better that Tony never bothered to get back in touch but a part of him felt bad that he never tried to reach out and get to know Sadie more. He could have helped them or at least made her feel better about liking science.

Sadie came out just then and climbed into bed. Tony sat down near her on the bed but was not sure how this whole bedtime routine worked.

"Am I supposed to do anything?" he asked.

"You have to tuck me in, then tell me a story or something." She explained patiently.

"Uh…okay, the tucking in I can do, but the story thing…"

"You can tell me about that." She pointed to his chest.

He looked down, "Oh, that's…"

She was looking expectantly at him. He finally sighed, tucking her in, not sure if he was doing it right, but she seemed fine with it. He wanted to brush off the story or just make something up, but he didn't know if he could even try to make up what had happened to him. It was real, and it sucked, and if anyone would understand surgeries and heart issues, it was most likely Sadie.

He started by explaining the kidnapping very briefly. She listened intently as his story grew more and more graphic. He talked about meeting Yinsen, being forced to make a bomb, how he developed his arc reactor and then finally, his suit. As he talked about finally coming home he stole a glance at her, amazed she was listening and gazing at him in wonderment. He took that moment to take a deep breath and rub his eyes before he broke down.

"Can I see it?" she asked him shyly.

Tony smiled and lifted his shirt. He couldn't help but chuckle at her wide-eyed expression as she looked at his chest-piece.

"Does it hurt?" she asked, reaching out to touch it, then changing her mind.

"Nah…and you can touch it." He said, leaning in so she could touch it.

"It feels warm." She whispered, then grinned, "I can feel your heartbeat through it."

"Yeah?" he grinned.

"It's stronger than mine." She admitted, and then lifted her shirt up.

Tony had to keep from gaping at the number of scars and just the sheer grotesque looks of them.

They both put their shirts down and he sighed, "You'll get better kid."

She shook her head sadly, "Mommy didn't want me to know, but I heard the nurses one time." She said, "They said I wouldn't live to the age of ten."

Tony felt angry suddenly. How unfair was that? He had been kidnapped and injured near death for three months and made it out safe and sound, yet Sadie was born and raised with her illness for seven years with no chance of a recovery or a full life. It wasn't fair, she was young and smart, she deserved this chest piece. Not him.

It hit him in an instant, a feeling of hope for her. He knew it was crazy, but what if...?

He gave her a firm look, "Sadie, I'm not gonna let that happen." He promised.

She merely shrugged, "That's what mommy and daddy said too."

"Well, I'm gonna prove it." He nodded.

She just sighed and settled into bed.

Tony got up and decided that once he could work out the kinks and get his suit running, then maybe, just maybe…

"Good night Uncle Tony." She yawned, "Can you turn on my night light for me?"

He smiled at her, "Sure thing. Night kid."

As the lights dimmed and colorful butterflies flew around the room in a peaceful glow, Tony stood with more determination than he ever had. This was what he needed to do. He couldn't make peace with his brother, he couldn't bring him back, but he could save Sadie's life. She deserved it, more than anyone, and he was going to see it through. Until that moment, he had work to do.

…..

Sadie was humming a tune and looking over Tony's formulas. Today they were testing his thrusters for his leg pieces. He had attached them to his legs and was having Dummy and U film him to help in his research.

He was just getting set up when she paused her humming to give him a dark look, "Uncle Tony, this isn't safe." She told him quickly.

"Relax kid, it's just a test." He reassured her.

"No, your formula has too much thrust capacity. You'll hurt yourself." She warned.

"Kid, it's okay, I'm only gonna start out small."

"The smallest thrust capacity will shoot you to the moon!" she cried exasperatedly.

"We'll see." He said, ignoring her. She groaned and covered her eyes as he started up the camera and stood in the middle of the floor.

The rest she chose to block out as her worst fears were confirmed when Tony was shot straight up towards his ceiling. She winced when he hit the wall behind her and fell, rather ungracefully to the ground. All she could do was watch as Dummy doused him with the fire extinguisher.

She sighed as he got up, mainly relieved that he was okay.

"I told you." She grumbled, shaking her head.

"Yeah, well, at least now we know what we have to work on." Tony said, rubbing his aching head.

She narrowed her eyes at him and went back to correcting his formulas.

Pepper walked down as he removed his leg pieces and searched for an ice pack.

"Tony, can I talk to you?" she asked, smiling quickly at Sadie before turning back to him.

"Fine, make it quick, we're on a roll." Tony said, jumping to join her.

Sadie continued working.

"Tony, we need to start thinking about schooling." Pepper said, "Her caseworker is coming by later and if we don't get that set up…"

"I don't like the thought of her at a school." Tony admitted. Sadie was very smart, but he knew the setbacks of that and he also knew how much harder it would be on her medically.

"So, what should we do?"

"What about a homeschool tutor or something?" he asked.

Pepper thought about it for moment and nodded, "We can make that happen, it would be better for her medically speaking."

Tony nodded and looked back at Sadie as Pepper got out her tablet to start a search, "See if you can find some high-level math and science teachers."

Pepper gave him an odd look but shrugged, "I can check, but she is seven, we should probably focus on- "

"Trust me, Pepper, this girl is smart. She likes science and math, so, let's make that a focus." He admitted.

Pepper smiled at him.

"What?" he asked defensively.

"Sounds like you're getting to know her very well." She said with that smirk.

He rolled his eyes, "She's a Stark, of course she's half genius."

She shook her head and chuckled as she began to walk away, "I'll do some digging. I'll have those names to you tonight.

She suddenly saw the fire extinguishing fluid on the ground and turned, fuming, "TONY! What have you been doing?" She yelled.

Sadie and Tony gave each other guilty looks. All three suddenly jumped when Jarvis suddenly spoke up, "Sir, a Ms. Heller from Children Services has arrived."

Pepper blanched and seemed ready to have a meltdown. Tony stayed calm and told Jarvis to just let her in and that they'd be up soon.

Pepper quickly turned to him and hissed, "You know how serious this is, right?"

"Relax, Pepper, I'm Tony Stark. Sadie's not going hungry, it's going to be fine."

"Tony…" Pepper warned but was cut short when Tony merely took Sadie's hand and walked with her upstairs, leaving Pepper to have a small aneurism in his lab before rushing up after them.

Tony helped Sadie get up the stairs in time to see a middle-aged blonde woman writing something on a notepad. She scowled at almost everything and grumbled as she wrote. When she looked up, she held out her hand, "Mr. Stark."

He shook it and was surprised at how firm it was. Her face never once cracked a smile and she seemed to stare at him with disdain.

"I'm Ms. Heller, I work with Children Services. I've been charged with making sure Sadie is in a fit home."

"Okay." He said, almost annoyed that he had to quit working for this.

"You do understand Sadie has a multitude of illnesses, correct?"

He nodded, "Yeah."

Pepper immediately cut in, "We've got her set up with Dr. Hill at the hospital, he's a heart specialist for children. She's done well with him so far."

She seemed to nod at that, "And as far as safety here," she looked around, "How is she maintaining that."

"Her room is ground level." Pepper said quickly.

"Does she have heart monitors? A hospital bed? Locks on medicinal cabinets? How about her bathroom?"

"Whoa…" Tony cut in, "She has a normal bed and she keeps her medicine close by just in case. Other than that, she's fine."

Ms. Heller gave him the deadliest look before writing something down. Pepper stared heavenward and seemed to pray inwardly.

Sadie looked uncomfortable and squeezed Tony's hand nervously.

"I see you have stairs. Is there a safety gate or an elevator?"

"No, she does pretty well, and she's seven so…" Tony explained, feeling annoyed at this point.

Once again, Ms. Heller wrote furiously on her pad.

"May I speak with Sadie alone, please?"

Tony looked at Sadie who appeared to shrink before his eyes, she looked up at him and then nodded sadly at Ms. Heller, who led her to the kitchen table, leaving Tony and Pepper to watch somewhat nervously.

"I don't get it?" Tony said in amazement, "I mean, I have the highest security on the planet here."

Pepper sighed, "None of that matters if you're a children services worker," She shook her head, "We have to be sure to abide their rules of safety or…"

"Or what?"

She gave him a quick look and he looked over nervously at Sadie who seemed to get more agitated and upset by the minute. He couldn't take it anymore. He stormed towards them and crossed his arms, "Ma'am, I think Sadie needs to rest now."

Sadie stared at him and Ms. Heller was flaring her nostrils, "Very well. Sadie you are excused."

She stood and once again wrote something down and walked past Tony. Tony put a hand on Sadie's shoulder and smiled encouragingly at her before turning to the woman who was getting something out of her briefcase. She handed Pepper a mountain of papers before continuing, "I expect these changes in two weeks or there will be a hearing regarding Sadie's care in this home. I am concerned this is not an environment for a child to live in. I've seen enough."

"Wait!" Pepper gasped, "If we make these changes…then…she can stay, right?"

"We'll see…I suggest you do some major changes around here if you plan to adopt her. You may be her family, but I know of plenty other homes that could maintain her health and safety better than this."

"You can't be serious?" Tony fumed, "She's happy here."

"That's not the point, Mr. Stark. Make these changes, or she will be removed from your care. Understood?"

"Yes!" Pepper said before Tony could speak, "We will make sure to have all these changes!"

"Good. I will see you then. Good day." She said briskly before walking out.

The moment the door shut Tony stared at Pepper, "They can't actually do that, right? She's my niece. They can't take her away!"

Pepper bit her lip and looked sadly between him and Sadie who sunk deep into her chair.

"If we make these changes we have a chance." Pepper finally said, with a hint of hope.

"Something tells me that hag doesn't care about changes, Pep. She'll take Sadie over my dead body." He said loudly, storming away.

Sadie continued to stare at Tony as he walked towards the kitchen to grab a drink of coffee. She got off her chair hesitantly and went to him, "You…you want to keep me?" she asked him.

He turned to her and smiled, "Course I want to keep you. You're family. No crazy witch wearing a social workers disguise is going to take you from this house."

Sadie smiled and seemed like she wanted to do something but all she could do was reach out and hold his hand, "Thank you Uncle Tony."

He held her hand and took a quick swig of coffee, "You're welcome, assistant. Now let's get back to work."


	4. Kid's Best Friend

It had been a week since the visit of Sadie's caseworker. Pepper had made some pretty decent changes, locks on cabinets, safety gates, video monitors, and she had just ordered a medical bed for Sadie to put in her room. Tony had objected to this, but the thought of Sadie being forcefully taken from his home made his stomach turn and he relented.

Most of the time, he and Sadie spent working on his suit. She was proving herself an amazing assistant and Tony was impressed at how much his niece could handle. He kind of regretted never meeting her until now. He just thanked God she wasn't such a buzz kill like her dad. He remembered Tim was the biggest history buff and always sounded so uppity. Sadie on the other hand was laid back and took things in stride. She spoke his language and never backed down from a challenge.

Unfortunately, though, he was constantly reminded of the harsh reality that was her illness on days such as this.

Sadie was due for more tests at the doctor's office, so here he sat in a chair by her hospital chair, both waiting for the doctor to come in.

Sadie was as calm as usual, considering she was hooked up to machines and wondering what horrid thing they had to do to her that day.

Pepper sat next to Tony, checking emails while he drew up some new ideas for his suit. Now and then he would show Sadie the pictures and she would smile and nod excitedly.

"It's good to see you two making something together." Pepper said, her eyes still on her phone.

Before Tony could remark a lady came in with a dog wearing a blue vest. It was a beautiful Golden Retriever and the vest said "Therapy Dog" on it. Sadie's eyes brightened, and she grinned from ear to ear.

"Hi there, my name is Mona, and this is Hector." The lady said, "Dr. Hill said that Miss Stark here loves dogs, so I thought I'd bring him on by."

"Oh, he's so sweet!" Pepper said, smiling as she put down her phone for a moment.

Sadie was bouncing a little on the examination table.

The dog jumped up and joined her, laying his head in her lap and getting comfortable. Tony was impressed at how gentle the dog was and how none of the strange machines or wires deterred him from letting Sadie pet him and hug him.

Dr. Hill came in and smiled, "Good! You met Hector. He's a popular guy here."

Sadie grinned and continued petting him.

"Is it okay if you watch him for me?" The lady said with a smile, "I am starving and haven't even had lunch yet. I can tell you'd do a wonderful job watching him while I'm out."

Sadie nodded happily. Tony had to admit he had never seen her this excited, not even when Butterfingers broke, and she helped him restore the robot.

"Thank you!" She said and waved as she left.

Dr. Hill turned to Sadie and began to frown a little, but was trying to remain as calm as possible, "Sadie, there's a test we need to do today, and I won't lie, it's very painful."

Sadie stopped petting Hector and looked up, her face falling.

Dr. Hill sat down, "We want to make sure that if we're going to go through with this surgery that there are no other bacteria's or diseases attacking any other part of your body. So, we need to take a bone marrow sample."

Tony's face fell along with Sadie's. He'd heard how painful those were.

"You're going to put her under, right?" he asked, suddenly nervous for Sadie.

Dr. Hill looked sad, "Unfortunately, we can only use topical anesthesia, it will be quick, but she will feel some pain."

Sadie's face grew pale.

"You're kidding?" Tony yelled, "A kid can't handle that, at least put her under or something!"

"Mr. Stark, I can't. And that's why I had Hector come in here. He sits with kids when we draw blood and do other tests. It helps them stay calm." He explained, "Now, I'm sorry but I'm going to have to ask you to leave for the test."

Pepper nodded getting up, ashen faced. She herself was agreeing with Tony but knew that if she got upset it would only upset Sadie, and she didn't want that.

"Can Uncle Tony stay?" Sadie asked weakly.

Dr. Hill looked up at Tony, who wasn't sure what to say. He was flattered but at the same time, he didn't know if he could watch something like this.

"If he promises to sit back and not get in the way, then sure." Dr. Hill relented. Tony had a feeling he'd fallen under Sadie's eye-spell. Poor sap never stood a chance.

Pepper left, squeezing Tony's arm in comfort. Tony sat back down and watched as Dr. Hill helped Sadie get on her side, and Hector close to her head. A nurse came in with one of the biggest needle's Tony had ever seen and he almost bolted. But Sadie had asked him to stay so he would.

"Okay, sweetie, just a quick shot to numb you. I promise to make it quick." The nurse said in a gentle voice. Tony tried not to look away and found himself gripping the sides of his chair.

Sadie sucked in a quick breath as the anesthesia quickly took effect.

The nurse got the jumbo needle ready while they waited for her back to get as numb as it could.

It felt like ages of waiting but eventually, they positioned the thing, "We're going to inject now sweetie, take a deep breath and relax, okay?"

He could hear Sadie whimper a little before letting out the most heart wrenching cry of pain. Tony couldn't help it, he closed his eyes, and counted. Fifteen seconds…fifteen seconds of that thing inside her before they finally took it out. Sadie continued to cry as they quickly cleaned her up. Hector laid there with her and licked her face as she held onto him.

The nurse finished up and then smiled at Tony, "Thank you for being patient, Mr. Stark. The doctor will come back and then you can go." She informed him. Tony nodded, still reeling from what he'd heard.

He looked over and found Sadie was still holding onto the dog and crying silently. He didn't know what to do. He wondered what Tim and Anna did at a time like this. And the thought hurt knowing that they too had to witness this, from the moment she was born, they dealt with this. It tore at his insides a little, and he knew if he didn't think about something else soon, he too would be hugging that dog and sobbing.

"You okay?" he asked in a shaky voice he was trying to control.

He saw her nod faintly. Hector whined and licked her face. She managed to grin at him and relaxed her hold, slowly moving. It obviously hurt because she winced with even the slightest movement.

Tony rubbed the back of his neck, feeling like an idiot for just sitting there. Hell, a dog did a better job comforting a kid than he did.

He was relieved when Dr. Hill came back but found he had to try and focus on what the doctor was saying and push the thought of what had just happened out of his memory.

Thankfully, Sadie could go home and rest. She would recover within a day or two as long as she took it easy.

Once Hector's owner came back, Tony couldn't lie at how impressed he was at the animal. He made sure not to step on Sadie or hurt her. Sadie seemed so enraptured by the dog, she actually managed a goodbye pet before he left.

As the lady walked out, Tony bolted out of the room, struck with another brilliant idea…or at least, he thought it was.

…..

"Where are we going?" Pepper kept asking Tony as they drove. Tony and Happy exchanged a grin in the rearview mirror which only infuriated Pepper even more.

He looked over at Sadie who appeared exhausted after her ordeal. He wondered if now was a good time for her surprise after what she'd been through but, then again, he was always an impulsive guy.

"Can't tell you, it'll ruin the surprise." He winked at her.

"Tony, you know I worry about your idea of surprises." Pepper mumbled.

"Relax, it's not like that." He reassured her.

Pepper huffed, "Sadie's exhausted, we should get her home."

"She won't be tired for long, trust me." Tony said.

"That is a task not even a saint can handle." Pepper said.

Points for Pepper.

"Here we are, sir." Happy said from the driver's seat. Pepper looked out and then gaped at Tony in shock.

"Told you." He grinned.

"Tony! Are you- "Pepper began.

Sadie looked outside at that moment and her face went from tired and pale to bright and glowing. She had the biggest smile as she stared at Tony, "Really?!" she exclaimed.

"Yep." Tony smiled back, loving how she bounced with excitement in her car seat.

And…points for Tony.

Pepper groaned as they all got out. She had enough to worry about, dealing with Tony and now Sadie, but this? A dog?!

Mona had directed Tony straight to this place. She'd informed him that it was where she adopted Hector and that they not only put up shelter and rescue dogs for adoption, they had dogs on site that had been trained specifically as working therapy dogs. He'd called the place right away asking for dogs that had training and certification to work with children who had illnesses. They informed him of three specially trained dogs at the shelter who were ready for adoption and Tony had them hold the dogs for the afternoon, so he could have a look.

Tony was just as excited as Sadie, and hey, it was the least he could do for the kid until he got his other plan rolling.

Sadie was jumping up and down, excitedly. He worried for a minute that she would get too worked up, but he didn't have the heart to spoil her mood.

"Sadie, take it easy." Pepper cajoled.

"Hey, come on Pott's let her have some fun." Tony said.

Pepper glared at him, "Tony, she's just had a bone marrow transplant. She needs to take it easy."

"Party pooper." Tony mumbled.

"Then I don't want to hear it when the dog poops in your lab."

Points for Pepper.

"Mr. Stark?" a nice young lady came up and shook hands with them.

"Yeah, we spoke on the phone." Tony said.

"Wonderful to have you here. We have the three dogs ready to meet your little girl." She smiled.

Sadie was so happy she couldn't even speak. And Tony didn't have the heart to correct the lady about Sadie not being his.

"Come on back." The lady said and they all followed her. Pepper was looking around anxiously and Tony was too busy trying not to laugh at how Sadie went from being a lethargic and sick kid to overly excited child.

They came to a room with a lot of dogs being trained and playing with volunteers. Some were wearing vests while others were wearing bandanas. The lady had them sit down and then showed them the three dogs from afar that they were looking at.

One was a Collie breed with a lot of fur, the other was a Golden Labrador, and the third…Tony had to keep his eyes from bugging out. It was huge! No, massive! A black Bullmastiff. He prayed Sadie would pick anything but that dog.

"Rosary is the Collie," The lady started, "She's very playful but also responsible and loyal. Duke is the Lab and he's very obedient and tame. He's a good listener too. Kala is the Bullmastiff. I know she looks a little scary, but she is very protective and loyal to a tee. She is one of the smartest dogs here and a retired working dog from a special training facility."

The first two dogs continued listening to the volunteers, however the Bullmastiff, Kala, came over immediately. It was almost like she could tell there was a sick kid here. She went up and carefully sniffed Sadie, who looked a little nervous.

"She won't bite, will she?" Pepper asked nervously.

"No, the only thing she will even think to attack is a predator threatening to hurt her family." The volunteer declared proudly.

Kala wiggled her stump of a tail and let her tongue hang out. Sadie put her hand out nervously and Kala met her halfway and let Sadie pet her. Kala got closer and rested her head on Sadie's lap, looking content. Sadie smiled, feeling more relaxed.

"If you want, you can walk with her, see how she does." The volunteer said.

"Oh, I don't- "Pepper started, but Sadie interrupted getting up, "OKAY!" she said happily and started walking towards the door.

"Uh...wait!" Tony said, trying to catch up. So much for prayers.

Kala didn't even need a leash, but the volunteer gave them one in case. Kala walked patiently next to Sadie as they went out to the large fenced in yard. There were other shelter dogs being walked, some on leashes and some bounding around playfully.

"She seems pretty tame." Tony remarked.

Pepper sighed, "I guess Sadie does seem to like her, but, maybe the Collie would be better." She whispered, hopefully.

"Yeah right, all that fur?" Tony snorted.

Pepper rolled her eyes. Just then they heard a loud bark and could see a large Great Dane bounding towards them. Sadie tensed up nervously as it headed straight for her.

Kala got in front of Sadie and barked loudly at the dog, growling low in her throat. The other dog stopped, confused as Kala continued to growl at it, keeping it from bothering Sadie. Finally, the dog walked away, and Kala went back to her sweet self, licking and checking on Sadie. They finally continued walking and Tony officially knew he was taking this dog home with them.

"Oh God." Pepper panted, "It's such a…massive dog." She groaned.

"Relax, Sadie loves her and she's protective." Tony said.

"You are feeding her." Pepper argued.

"What?" Tony gasped.

"Your money, your niece, your dog…YOUR problem." She said and walked with Sadie back to the shelter.

Tony stood there sulking in his defeat. Points for Pepper.

Within minutes, he was filling out the mountain of paperwork, with Pepper's help of course, and taking the giant beast home with them. He would have been upset had it not been for Sadie absolutely loving every second.

"Uhm…sir…." Happy said when they walked out. He saw the massive dog coming towards them and all he could do was shift nervously, obviously not expecting their pick to be this…intense.

"New friend." Tony said, "May need to stop at a pet store on the way home."

"What are we getting sir, horse feed?" Happy grumbled.

Tony laughed at that one. Pepper looked unamused to say the least.

Sadie climbed in the car and Kala watched her like an overbearing mother before climbing in after her.

By the time Tony got in and shut the door, he was squished against it by a giant panting dog, who merely sat next to Sadie with her tongue out and drooling on his upholstery.

"By the way," Pepper said quickly, as though remembering something, "One of the tutors for Sadie's home schooling has arranged an interview for today. They should be coming in a couple of hours."

"Awesome, killing two birds with one stone today." Tony said, feeling successful. But then he turned to see the dog staring at him with drool raining on his pants leg and he had to wonder why on earth he was so impulsive.

…..

Sadie was playing with Kala in the living room as Tony and Pepper waited to meet the tutor. Pepper finally smiled, "She and Kala do seem to like each other." She commented.

Tony nodded as he watched the pair on the floor. Kala was so patient and gentle with Sadie as she continually pet her new dog.

Pepper looked over at him and grinned, "So…why did you get her a dog?"

Tony shrugged, "Less time to bother me." He mumbled, pretending to check his watch.

Pepper rolled her eyes, knowing full well that Tony's niece had stolen his heart.

"Sir, a Mr. James Harper is here." Jarvis said over the intercom.

"What?" Tony looked up in shock, "Probably a sales merchant, tell him to scram!" he barked.

"No! Show him in Jarvis." Pepper said quickly.

"We have the tutor coming soon." Tony argued with her.

"Tony…that is the tutor." Pepper growled and went to greet the young, very attractive looking man into the house.

Tony sized him up; the guy was a hunk! He was obviously fresh out of grad school in his late twenties. He wore a very nice suit for the interview and had bronze skin, brown eyes, and a mop of very well styled hair. No way was this guy gonna be Sadie's tutor.

"Mr. Stark." James Harper said, nodding and holding out his hand. Tony begrudgingly shook his hand, hoping to get this over with soon and find a new tutor, one more his speed.

"And is this little Sadie?" the man asked as Sadie came over with Kala, "Whoa! That is a big dog." He laughed, taken aback by Kala's size and stature.

Sadie smiled and shook his hand, "Her name is Kala, Uncle Tony just got her for me today." She said proudly. Harper got down onto her level and listened very patiently to her as she recounted Kala's adoption earlier that morning.

"Pepper." Tony whispered on the side of his mouth, "I thought you called a woman."

"I didn't say it was a woman." She grinned. Tony glared at her.

Harper finally stood up and addressed Tony and Pepper, "She seems like a very smart girl! If you don't mind, I'd like to do a couple of science and math tests with her to see how far along she is."

Tony wanted to just fire the guy now before later, but he did mention science and math, so he couldn't help but at least see how far along Sadie actually was.

They walked to the kitchen table and Harper began to set up his laptop and pulled out some folders of paper.

Sadie sat down next to him and he instructed her on what to do. She seemed very capable as she took the pen from him and began the testing. Harper would check his watch and try another paper. Nearly forty minutes went by and Sadie was on her eighteenth paper with some rather complicated equations on it.

Tony had to give the guy credit, he was genuinely finding out just how smart Sadie was.

Another ten minutes later and Harper was closing his laptop and writing down Sadie's scores. He put it down and blew out a breath, "Sadie, you are by far one of the smartest kids I have ever met."

He then stared at Tony, "You may not even need to home school her, she's already reached a masters level in physics and mathematics. Her problem-solving skills are off the charts and don't even get me started on her reading and comprehension."

Sadie looked over at Tony who couldn't help but puff up in pride while Pepper stared at him in astonishment. She wouldn't have believed it had he not just shown her Sadie's test scores. Her IQ was right up there with Tony's.

"There is one thing though," he admitted, "Sadie, you're struggling in handwriting. I can also tell technology itself is a little below your physics level of understanding."

Sadie nodded, "Mommy didn't really let me use a computer and I didn't really write a whole lot, just numbers." She admitted.

Tony remembered a time he hated writing courses. He wasn't creative, just smart and ready to solve puzzles. Computers he got, but for Sadie, she was only behind in that area due to just not having access to it like he did.

"Well. If I do decide to tutor you, we're going to be focusing on that writing. I know it's not as fun, but if you can get better at it, it's at least one more skill to have. And, I can get you started on some basic computer and technology lessons if that will help at all?"

Sadie nodded.

"So, it looks like the goal is keeping your mind sharp, mastering computer technology, and getting those writing skills up to par." Harper agreed.

"Okay." Sadie smiled and then looked over at Tony who nodded to her. To be honest he had never felt this kind of way before. It was like watching Butterfingers start to pick up objects the right way.

"It's been kind of a long day and I think Sadie needs to rest now." Pepper explained.

Sadie couldn't deny that and shook Harpers hand before letting Kala lead her to the bedroom to lie down.

As the door shut, Tony was ready to see just how good this guy really was.

"Tell me about your education." Tony said stiffly, leaving no breathing room for pleasantries.

"Well," Harper started, "I graduated first in my class at UCLA. I went on to their intern program for my master's degree and before I knew it I was getting my masters."

"So…what is your major focus?" Tony asked, trying not to squirm.

"Well, I was in the advanced placement for physics and mathematics. Then I thought about going into engineering but when I got my masters I was told I could teach and I just love the idea of teaching." He said, excitedly.

"Do you feel you'd be a good fit for Sadie?" Pepper interrupted, smiling at him.

"She seems like a very bright girl, I've actually never worked with a child this smart or who has an illness, but, I can tell she'll be fun to work with."

Pepper smiled warmly but Tony was still unsure, "What do you know about Arc Reactor Technology and what my company does?" he asked.

"Well, I actually did a thesis on the benefits of Arc Reactor in my undergrad, but also, I've considered interning at your company before I decided to teach." Harper admitted, "Yours is a very competitive company, I will say.

Tony knew this guy would be perfect for Sadie, but dear God if he'd rather hire someone at least decent to look at. Well, if all else failed, he could find an attractive nurse later.

Without another thought, he stood up and shook Harper's hand and asked the million-dollar question, "When can you start?"


	5. Tim

Pepper came down to see Tony continue his work. He seemed tense however and didn't really speak to her.

"Tony? Are you okay?" Pepper asked. She knew it had been a long day for him, but that didn't mean he needed to be so cold towards her.

"Fine." He answered tersely.

Pepper bit her bottom lip and finally just decided to let him stew for the night. When he got like this it was hard to get through to him.

"Well, I'm going." She said with a note of finality, "Sadie's still asleep, I'll be here in the morning."

"Night." Tony huffed.

"Goodnight…" Pepper said sadly as she walked away.

Tony heard her practically sulk up the stairs and decided to just let it go.

To be honest, watching Sadie today it really made him think about so much in his life he'd done wrong. He never should have treated people the way he did, and he never should have turned a blind eye on his company. Hell, he never should have turned a blind eye on his brother, or Sadie.

He shook his head angrily and collapsed into a chair. As he closed his eyes, memories danced in his head and then, there he was; his brother.

 _He and Tim were eating dinner and flicking peas at each other. Their mom was out, and their dad was reading a paper, telling them to quit. They were giggling and enjoying themselves until their dad threw the paper on the table and yelled at them to clean up the mess and go to bed._

 _He and Tim were in school. Tim had just given a speech for his history class and was telling Tony all about how the teacher approved of his paper and wanted to publish it. Tony was too busy flirting with the ladies walking by to really hear him._

" _Tony? Are you even listening to me?" Tim yelled angrily._

" _What?" Tony asked._

" _God, you are such a horny 14-year-old." Tim grunted._

" _Hey, you're a senior who's been nominated Prom King. I'm sure you and Miss Bookworm will have all kinds of kinky fun." Tony smirked._

 _Tim blushed, "How did you know I asked her?"_

" _Please, word gets out."_

" _Well, Veronica is sweet, so don't make fun of her." Tim argued._

" _Relax, man. And I'm glad your paper got noticed."_

" _Thanks, bro."_

 _He and Tim were at their parent's funeral. Neither said a word, neither cried. They just sat there._

" _I don't know about you, but, I could go for a drink." Tony murmured to Tim._

 _Tim grinned, "Make that twenty. Meet you at the Clover Club."_

 _He was walking down the aisle receiving his diploma from MIT. He looked up and saw Tim whistling and cheering for him. Next to him was his latest girlfriend, Anna. Tony held up the diploma and made his signature peace sign. Tim rolled his eyes but couldn't help but grin for his little brother._

 _At his graduation party, hosted at Tim's place, they celebrated and toasted their achievements. Tony would soon be the newest CEO of Stark Industries while Tim became a legendary history professor at Yale._

" _You two look a little too drunk right now." Anna came over and kissed Tim, smiling at Tony._

" _Me? Never. Him, naturally." Tim joked. Tony smiled; he had never seen his brother so happy and carefree._

" _To you guys. For making it…how long?" Tony asked, raising his cup._

" _2 years." Anna said, fondly._

 _Tony couldn't help but admire how pretty she was. Her blonde hair and green eyes so vivid and gorgeous. No wonder Tim fell for her. At least his brother had taste._

 _Tony quickly took a gulp, "Man, either put a ring on it or move on." Tony joked._

" _Hey now, we all can't be playboys like you, bro." Tim warned, but smiled at his brother._

 _Anna smiled and went to go get some more food._

" _Tony, I need to ask you something?" Tim said in a hushed voice, glancing nervously from Anna to him._

" _Sure." Tony said, leaning in._

 _His brother looked around to make sure no one was watching._

" _I know this is your party, but…can I maybe…propose to Anna here?" Tim asked, looking sheepish but excited._

 _Tony brightened, "DUDE! Hell yes!"_

 _Tim relaxed and showed Tony the ring he'd bought. Tony whistled._

" _Think she'll like it?" Tim asked._

" _If she doesn't she's blind as a bat." Tony joked._

 _Tim smiled, "I want you to be my best man." He said, clapping his hand on Tony's shoulder._

" _I already am." Tony said and smiled with him. They embraced. Tim suddenly looked nervous and Tony had to brush off his sleeves and get him pumped, "Go get her!" he whispered._

 _Then Tony stood on a chair, rather tipsy, and made an announcement, "Everyone! My brother here has something he'd like to ask a certain someone."_

 _He winked at Tim and watched with fondness as his brother got down on one knee, professed his love and proposed to a tearful Anna. Tony was relieved when she said yes. He couldn't have been happier._

" _Tony! You made it!" Anna said, happily._

" _Only took you two can take long enough to finally get this shindig on a roll." Tony said. It had literally taken 3 years for both to finally settle down and plan the wedding, "And when have I never made it?" He added._

 _She let him in to their new house and Tony was pleased that Tim was doing okay for himself._

 _He had to gag when a bunch of women stared at him and batted their lashes. Nothing like a bunch of ninnies at a wedding shower to boost your ego._

 _Tony put his gift on the table and went to go find Tim. He and some other guys were celebrating in the kitchen with the good stuff._

" _Tony!" Tim yelled happily, "You made it! Man, of the hour!"_

 _Tony shook his hand, "Only sold a few weapons and made millions." He boasted._

" _My brother, the Merchant of Death!" Tim joked._

" _How come you're drunker than I am?" Tony joked and grabbed a martini._

 _Three hours into the party, most of the guests had left, leaving Anna, Tim, and Tony, who were at that point pretty deep into the liquor. Tony couldn't be happier._

 _Tony realized they needed ice so headed to the basement to find some when he heard a strange sound. Someone was crying. As he walked down he saw Anna crying on the couch, holding some wine._

" _Whoa!" Tony said, walking towards her, "No crying at my brother's wedding shower." He said, sitting down next to her._

" _Tony! Oh…I'm sorry." Anna cried, rubbing her face._

 _Tony grabbed a handkerchief and gave it to her._

" _Thanks." She said, blowing her nose._

" _You wanna tell me what's wrong?" he asked her._

 _She sighed, "It's just all happening and I just…I don't know. I'm starting to wonder if all this waiting was worth it."_

" _What are you saying? You and Tim adore each other." Tony said, shocked._

" _I do love him, more than you know, it's just…" she shook her head._

" _Hey." Tony said, lifting her chin, "No crying okay."_

 _She smiled weakly, both so drunk, neither even felt it coming, a sudden hint of a spark. Tony was in a blur as their kiss deepened._

Tony opened his eyes from the memories and shifted in his seat as he angrily went through that night in every vivid detail; the kiss, the drunken whispers, the way Anna felt with him, right up to…

" _Anna? Tony? You down here?" Tim called._

Tony tried blocking out the hurt and the pain but couldn't help it. He was suddenly reliving it all in his head.

" _Anna? What are you? TONY?!"_

 _Anna and Tony sat up, drunken, dazed and confused._

" _Oh my God!" Anna sobbed, suddenly, realizing what she did._

" _Shit!" Tony yelled._

 _Tim just stood there, looking hurt and confused._

" _You just couldn't wait to get into her pants, could you?" He yelled angrily, storming out._

" _Tim wait!" Tony cried, going after his brother, "Tim, please, I'm- "_

" _What? You're sorry? For sleeping with MY fiancée?"_

" _Tim, it isn't what you think."_

" _God, Tony, you know, I thought you were better than dad and all that nonsense the papers make you out to be, but in the end, all you will ever be is some pathetic loser."_

" _Tim- "_

" _Don't bother coming to the wedding. In fact, don't bother ever knocking on my door ever again!" Tim yelled, throwing a punch at Tony. Tony retaliated in anger._

" _Stop!" Anna came running out, "Both of you stop! Tim, please, I did this."_

" _No, I did." Tony said, angrily, "I bet I'm better than you in bed any day. You always were a boring little fuck!"_

 _Tim spat, "GET OUT!"_

" _With pleasure." Tony said with venom, and then walked out._

That was the last time he ever saw his brother. He and Anna obviously mended fences, considering they got married 3 months later. Tony of course, never showed. 

All he could remember was just how angry both were. Angry enough that Tim never even told him about Sadie. Hell, both kept science from her. Tony rubbed the back of his neck and stared angrily at his computer screen. Sometimes he just wished he'd just tried to get into contact with them. But in the end, maybe sorry just wasn't enough.

He was so lost in thought; he hadn't realized that Sadie was standing right next to him.

He jumped when he saw her bright yellow nightgown.

"Hey!" he said, trying to recover himself, "You okay?"

Kala was with her and was looking frantic. She was whining and not leaving Sadie's side. Sadie was leaning into her weakly.

"Sadie?" he tried.

She got paler and suddenly threw up on his shoes.

"O-K!" he yelled, standing up. She coughed and cried, clutching her stomach.

"Ahh! Jarvis!" Tony yelled, reaching for her, but afraid to pick her up, "What's wrong?"

"Sir, it appears she has vomited."

Tony rolled his eyes and finally gave in, scooping her up, carefully. He checked her meter, but her numbers were okay.

"Jarvis, symptoms." He finally said, taking her upstairs, only to have her vomit on him again.

He grimaced, racing towards her bathroom.

"Symptoms are vomiting, coughing, and a fever."

"How high?" Tony asked, setting Sadie on the countertop while he grabbed a towel.

"I-I'm sorry." She choked and sobbed.

"Not your fault." He said, wiping himself off. She was still pale, and he faintly heard her calling for her mom.

"Sir, her temperature is 102.3 and still rising."

Tony's eyes widened, and he felt her forehead; she was burning up.

"Jarvis, something, anything, help me out!" Tony said, frantically. He couldn't believe how completely helpless he was in that moment. He was a scientist, problem solver, and he couldn't even figure out what to do for a kid's fever!

"Shall I call an emergency hospital?"

"Call Dr. Hill." Tony said quickly.

"One moment." Jarvis said, thankfully they weren't waiting long as Jarvis put Dr. Hill through.

"Hello?" a tired voice said on the line.

"Dr. Hill, its Tony Stark."

"Mr. Stark? Is everything all right?" Dr. Hill asked.

"Uhm…" Tony said, "Shit!" he cursed as Sadie vomited once again all over herself.

"Sir, her temperature is now at 103." Jarvis said.

"Mr. Stark?" Dr. Hill repeated, unsure of what was going on.

"Sadie's throwing up, temperature is 103. What should I do?" Tony managed to get out.

"She needs to come in. I'll meet you at the hospital. In the meantime, just drive her over quickly and put a cold washcloth on her neck and forehead."

"Got it." Tony said, ending the call as he ran to find washcloths. He was relieved there were some in her bathroom as he doused them in cold water, barely remembering to turn off the sink. Just as quickly, he was racing with Sadie towards one of his cars, not caring which one, Kala was right on his tail and in the backseat with Sadie, who now had washcloths on her head and neck and a bucket he'd grabbed from his lab. Without another thought, he was in the car and racing out of his garage.

"Sir," Jarvis told him over the cars intercom, "not only are you exceeding the speed limit by 30 miles, but you have forgotten to buckle your niece and yourself in as well." Jarvis said.

"I don't care, Jarvis, just tell me how close I am." He yelled.

Sadie was moaning and crying in the backseat, "I want my mommy…" She cried.

"Me too kid." Tony said, softly, still trying to focus on the road.

He was relieved when he finally made it. He managed the worst parking job in history before grabbing her out from the back seat and rushing her inside.

Immediately, Dr. Hill and two nurses took her from him and placed her in a stretcher to take her back.

Once he was left alone, Kala's whining next to him reminded him that he should probably call Pepper. He took out his phone and hoped she answered him quickly.

"Tony? What is it?" she answered, sounding tired.

"Pepper, Sadie's in the hospital. I need you to grab some clothes for her" he said. Then noticed a few people staring at him and remembered he was also covered in vomit, "…and me."

"What?"

"Just…do it." He said, and then hung up. He finally walked over to a chair, ignoring people staring at the big shot covered in vomit and a mastiff next to him. Kala laid her head on Tony's knee, drooling and whining and instinctively he couldn't help but pat her head for some form of comfort, "She'll be fine." He said absentmindedly, more to himself than to the dog.

"Hey man." A familiar voice said out of the blue.

Tony looked up and gaped, "Rhodey?!" he smiled before shaking his hand, "What are you- "

"Pepper called, I was in the neighborhood. You…smell like rotten bacon." He sniffed unpleasantly.

Tony chuckled and rubbed his neck.

"And that is one big dog." Rhodey said, laughing, but petting Kala none the less, "Here's some clothes." He grinned, giving Tony a bag while he scratched behind Kala's ears.

"Thanks." Tony sighed and went to change in the bathroom. He tossed his shirt in the trashcan and splashed water on his face, hoping he didn't look too much like hell.

He walked out and heard Pepper's voice, obviously catching up with Rhodey. She must have noticed him because her heels clicked loudly on the floor in a quick pace, "Tony!" she called, "Is she okay?"

"Not sure yet." He shrugged

"What happened?"

"I don't know…she just…" he started, only to be interrupted by Dr. Hill who came out and called his name.

Tony, Rhodey and Pepper all rushed to him and he smiled with relief, "She's stabilizing now, no more vomiting and her fever is dropping."

"What happened?" Pepper asked him nervously. Tony was just as eager to hear it as she was.

Dr. Hill couldn't keep from grinning at Tony, "She just got a little over excited from today. Course, that happens when you take a kid to get a dog the same day we take a bone marrow sample." He raised his eyebrows.

Tony looked a little sheepish but shrugged.

Dr. Hill chuckled and shook his head, "You should be able to take her home tonight, we'll keep an eye on her for another few minutes, make sure the fever isn't back. Keep a close eye on her at home, okay?"

Tony nodded.

"We have clothes for her, if you wouldn't mind." Pepper said, handing the doctor some of Sadie's clean pajamas in a plastic bag.

"No problem, we'll bring her out in a few minutes." Dr. Hill said, taking the bag and heading back.

Tony turned to Pepper and knew he was in for it.

"I told you!" she practically yelled.

"Hey, she loves the dog!" Tony defended her, "What you wanna take the dog back?"

"Of course not, that's not what I meant." Pepper said, angrily.

"Pepper! She's fine! She can come home. Now let's all just…" Tony said, obviously very tired and stressed.

Pepper finally took a breath and took sympathy on him, "Okay. You're right, let's just all go home and get some rest."

"You can take a day off if you want." Tony said.

Pepper stared at him in shock.

Rhodey finally took that moment to jump in, "Look, if you two don't mind, after I meet her, I'm gonna head out."

Realizing that neither had heard him, he just shrugged and sat down to pet Kala.

"Yeah…no weirdness there." He groaned quietly to Kala.

Rhodey was the first to see Sadie come out and he smiled. He knew a Stark when he saw one. But what floored him was how much she did look like Tony. He figured Tim probably looked the same, even though he'd never seen or met the guy.

He got up to shake her hand, "Hey there Sadie. My name is James Rhodes, but you can call me Rhodey." He told her with a smile.

She smiled back weakly and shook his hand, Kala moved by her side, vigilant as always, "Uncle Tony talks about you." She said.

"Yeah?"

"Yeah, he said you found him."

Rhodey smiled fondly at that.

"Hey!" Tony came over, relieved color was back in her face, "Ready to go home, kid?"

She nodded, looking exhausted.

"I'll see you later, Sadie." Rhodey said, shaking hands with Tony and leaving the hospital.

"Oh, Sadie." Pepper said, rushing over, looking very distressed, "Are you feeling okay?" she asked, rubbing her hair behind her ears. Sadie remembered her mom did that a lot when she was sick, and it made her feel smile appreciatively. She managed a weak nod and before long, they were wheeling her out of the hospital.

Pepper helped Tony buckle her into the car and allowed Kala to make room for herself. As Tony shut the door he looked at Pepper, "Seriously, you can take tomorrow off." He told her.

"No, Tony, you obviously need some help." She retorted.

"She'll be fine." Tony said, "Will you just relax?"

Pepper sighed and got into her car. He hoped that was the end of it but sure enough she was in his house waiting on his couch as he carried Sadie inside.

"Okay," he huffed in annoyance, "you can just stay the night, I guess."

Pepper smiled at him and assisted in getting Sadie into bed. Before he could tuck her in, she suddenly clutched his shirt sleeve and looked up at him, "Can I stay with you?" she asked weakly.

Pepper stood over in the doorway and smiled at the two.

Tony didn't want to at first, but memories of Tim and Anna and what he'd just been through raced in his head. Not to mention Sadie's killer eyes bore a hole right through him and he found he couldn't resist, "Fine, but just tonight." He said, picking her up and walking towards his room.

He walked by a smirking Pepper, "What?" he growled.

"Nothing." She smiled innocently and went to find a guest room to crash in, "Tony, just call if you need me, okay?" she said.

He mock saluted on his way upstairs.

Once Sadie was finally asleep on his bed, he found he too was exhausted. To hell with the suit tonight, he needed a serious vacation. Before he knew it, he was passed out cold and was waking up at the crack of dawn to see Sadie cuddled up next to him with a hairy mastiff drooling and snoring on the other side.

Tony groaned, wondering if this is what he has been reduced to.

He felt Sadie stir and found his arm curled around her protectively. He had no clue why his arm was doing that, so he blamed it on lack of sleep and Sadie's demon eyes.


	6. A Fit Parent

Tony woke up to the sound of Pepper yelling about something. He had no clue what she was yelling but he was about to tell her to shut up for Sadie's sake until Pepper herself came bursting into his room.

"Pepper…" he groaned in annoyance.

"Tony, you need to come downstairs now." She yelled, looking upset.

"What?" he groaned again, trying to balance both Sadie and a dog on top of him. He turned to see Sadie open her eyes and look up at him shyly. She was still clutching his shirt and seemed to curl herself further into him.

"Aw, you woke her up!" he told Pepper with a glare.

"Tony, please just come downstairs now!" Pepper hissed loudly before rushing out of his bedroom.

Tony sighed then got up, pushing Kala from his chest now covered in dog drool. Sadie pushed herself up weakly and looked over at him curiously, "What's going on?"

"Not sure." He admitted, rubbing his neck, "Go ahead and get some breakfast, I'll be down in a sec, okay?"

She nodded and yawned, getting herself out of bed carefully. Kala instantly came to her aid and assisted her as she practically wobbled out of the room.

Tony took that time to change his shirt and hustle downstairs, wondering if it had something to do with his company. What he didn't expect to see was Sadie's caseworker and a strange couple he'd never met before.

"Mr. Stark." Ms. Heller nodded curtly to him.

Tony got a sinking feeling in his gut and noticed Pepper helping Sadie get some breakfast and looking agitated.

He turned towards the couple who had obviously come with Ms. Heller. The man was tall and sported long blonde hair that he wore in a ponytail. His blue eyes met Tony's and for some reason, he felt that there was something off about this guy and he hadn't even met him yet. The woman next to him was heavyset, with short black hair in a knot behind her head. Her brown eyes seemed to glare at Tony though he couldn't understand why. Both seemed cold and he had a feeling they were not here for pleasantries.

Ms. Heller quickly introduced the couple, "This is Mr. Evan Parker and his wife, Heather."

Evan stepped forward to shake his hand, which he returned reluctantly. Heather chose to stand back and merely nod.

"I brought them here to meet Sadie." Ms. Heller explained, "It would appear that Sadie's records neglected to mention that she had another family from her mother's side."

Tony then remembered that Anna's maiden name had been Parker, but she never once mentioned a brother. Tim had never told him anything either. Of course, they didn't exactly tell him a lot.

"I'm afraid there was a mix up." Evan said in a courteous voice, "I'm Anna's older brother. We hadn't spoken in such a long time, we lived far away, and both had very busy lives."

"I had no clue she had a brother." Tony admitted, "How did you find me?"

"Ms. Heller contacted us. She was hoping we could discuss Sadie's future." Evan explained, giving Tony an icy look.

Tony's stomach turned, "Oh?"

"Relax, I just want to be a part of my niece's life is all." Evan defended, "But perhaps we can discuss a custody arrangement some time?"

Pepper finally came forward and crossed her arms, glancing at Tony. He didn't know what to say but before he could say anything, Ms. Heller was calling for Sadie to come and meet her aunt and uncle.

Tony could tell she was unsettled as she walked carefully towards them with Kala helping her.

Sadie stopped at Tony's side, who reached down to let her hold his hand. He smiled encouragingly, hoping that this whole morning would be over soon.

Evan stepped forward and reached out, "Sadie! I'm your uncle- "

Everyone gasped as Kala growled low in her throat and snapped at his hand, warning him. She got in front of Sadie and blocked her from the guy.

"Oh my God!" Heather said with disgust, "Why'd you get her such an aggressive dog?"

"She's never done that before!" Pepper said defensively, "Kala is a service dog. She must be reacting to Sadie being scared."

"Mr. Stark, would you please remove the dog." Ms. Heller ordered.

"Excuse me?" he said with a laugh, "You want me to take away her service dog?"

"Whatever it is, Mr. Parker has a right to see his niece, put the dog outside." She ordered again.

Sadie held onto Kala's neck nervously and looked up at Tony imploringly.

He gave her an apologetic look and had Sadie help him get Kala outside who barked as he shut the door.

Sadie looked on the verge of tears, so he picked her up, hoping that even though Kala wasn't with her, maybe this would help. He hated seeing her upset.

"There we go!" Evan said with a smile, holding out his arms to her, "I have been waiting to give you the biggest hug!"

Tony didn't want to let go, and Sadie did not want to either.

He held out his hand, "I think she just needs some time before we hug, man."

"Why don't we all just sit down and talk then." Pepper suggested, "Please get comfortable."

Sadie chose to sit right next to Tony while Evan sat on the other side, looking down at her. Kala made a ruckus outside and Tony prayed this would all be over before the dog broke his glass door.

"Well, Heather and I were discussing that since she's a nurse and I work from home that Sadie would have a wonderful home with us."

"Excuse me?" Pepper gasped.

Evan laughed and held up his hands, "Don't worry, I think you do fine taking care of her, but you have to admit, having two parents is better than one. And I'm sure you're a very busy man. And with Heather, she'd have twenty-four-hour care."

Tony almost laughed at the audacity. This had to be a joke? He'd never met this guy, was not at all in Tim or Anna's will, and he made a service dog snap.

"I think it is something to consider." Ms. Heller piped in, "I find children do well in structured homes. I will be conducting a home inspection on the Parker's residence."

"I'm sorry, but, Tony is her guardian." Pepper explained, "He's done everything you've asked of him, gotten her a tutor and a service dog- "

"That is aggressive and harmful." Ms. Heller interrupted, "She has also gone to the hospital for actions that I consider neglectful to her care."

"That was just last night, and she had a really rough test- "Tony argued.

She quickly interrupted, "As I said, I will conduct my investigation and in two weeks, we will decide which home will be a better fit for her."

"You can't do that!" Tony yelled, holding onto Sadie tighter, "Look, just because I'm not married or have a nurse in my house doesn't mean I can't take care of her! I survived getting captured and tortured for four months. My brother and sister in law left her to me and I'm keeping her."

"You can apply for adoption, but you will need my approval first." Ms. Heller sneered, "And quite frankly, Mr. Stark, your reputation is not one I'm impressed with nor is it suitable to raise a child, a sick one at that."

He could feel Sadie breathing erratically and grew even more frustrated. Who did these people think they were? To come into his home and tell him he wasn't a good guardian for Sadie, after everything he'd done for her. Sure, he hadn't been so sure about it before, but Sadie was a smart kid and the thought of losing her…it was like losing his brother all over again.

No, he wouldn't let them do it, "Try all you want, my answer is final; I'm keeping Sadie."

"I think it's best you leave now. Sadie is tired and needs rest." Pepper interjected, smiling proudly at Tony.

Ms. Heller and the Parkers rose.

"We'll be back." Evan warned, "We too, don't plan on losing this fight either, Mr. Stark."

"Good luck." Tony spat as they were ushered out by Pepper.

Tony seethed inside as he held Sadie. He hadn't realized he was still sitting there with her until she spoke up, "You mean it?"

He looked down and her and could tell she was just as upset as he was, but in her eyes, there was so much hope in him that all his anger left in an instant and he nodded, "Absolutely, you aren't going anywhere kid."

She smiled at him and wrapped her arms around his middle tightly. He'd never felt a hug like this before. And to earn it from her felt amazing. He couldn't stop himself from hugging her back and relished in the feeling for a few moments.

Pepper came back in and huffed angrily, "I hope we never see them again." She grumbled.

Sadie let go of Tony and then got up to go let Kala in, who wagged her stump of a tail happily as she checked Sadie for any injuries.

Tony stood, and Pepper came over to him with a grin on her face.

He rolled his eyes, "I know, I know, I'm a softie." He grumbled.

She put a hand on his shoulder, "You're a good uncle." She told him firmly, "Just say the word, I'll call your lawyer."

"Which one?" he snorted.

She shook her head with a chuckle and couldn't help but enjoy this side of Tony. He had always been a jerk, all about himself, annoying as hell, but in this moment, the Tony that she saw, he was brave, he was selfless, and the way he fought for Sadie, it proved more than ever what she already knew; he had a heart.

…..

After the events of the morning, Tony began to wonder more and more about Tim and Anna. It seemed that no matter what, more things about Sadie or her parents crept up on him. He had put it off long enough, he needed the truth, all of it.

"Jarvis." He said loudly, walking towards his monitor.

"Yes sir."

"Do me a favor. I need family records for both Anna Parker-Stark and Tim Stark." He ordered, "I'm talking health records, birth certificates, everything you got."

"Certainly Sir."

"Let me know when it's here." He nodded.

"Estimated time is 8 hours." Jarvis calculated.

"You know where I'll be."

"Unless you plan to visit Mr. Heffner again, then I assume you'll be in your workshop."

Tony rolled his eyes.

He looked over to see Pepper leading Jimmy down the stairs. He'd come earlier to develop academic goals for Sadie. He watched as he and Pepper laughed about something and walk in.

"Sadie's down for a nap." Pepper told him quickly, "I need to make a call but let me know when you're done, and I'll show you out." She told him.

Jimmy thanked her and walked over to Tony, putting down some papers. Tony glanced at them and looked up at Jimmy who eyed him curiously, "What?" he asked defensively.

"Sorry," Jimmy apologized with a sheepish smile, "I'm still trying to get over the fact I'm in your home and that your kid is like the next Einstein." He admitted.

"That good?" he smiled proudly.

"Oh yeah…hell, she could get a doctorate if she wanted to in the next two years."

"You sure you can keep up?"

He shrugged innocently, "Never know. But I am concerned."

"Why?"

"Her writing…I think she might be struggling with that on purpose."

"What do you mean?" Tony asked, sitting down across from Jimmy.

He bit his lip, "I ask her to write about science, she's a pro. I ask her to write an equation, boom. But when I ask her to write about a feeling or memory, she just shuts down."

Tony did find that odd but didn't want to go too deep into it. He was noticing that Sadie did not enjoy talking about her feelings with others, especially doctors. Of course, he didn't either. If there was a problem, he solved it; Sadie was probably the same way.

"I'm sure she'll get better at it soon." He shrugged, "She probably just hasn't been as focused, you know with all the changes and stuff."

Jimmy gave him a quick glance before nodding, obviously aware that Tony didn't want to go too deep into it. Either way, Tony was relieved at his response.

"We'll get her there." He smiled confidently as he packed up her papers, "She is a great kid, by the way."

Tony couldn't agree more. As far as kids went, Sadie was definitely one in a million, "Yeah. She really is."

Jimmy shifted nervously and then looked over at him, "Pepper told me about children services…if you ask me, it's a load of crap what they're saying. Sadie's happy here, that should be all that matters."

Tony didn't say anything but nodded and looked away.

"If you need anyone to vouch for you…I have no problem defending her staying here." He said confidently.

Tony finally met his eyes and smiled at the guy, "You have officially become one of my new favorite people."

Jimmy was over the moon as the billionaire boosted his ego at least seventy percent more.

"Sir, the records are in." Jarvis said, interrupting them.

"That was fast." Tony commented, not at all surprised Jarvis could actually get the information he needed ahead of schedule. He did design him after all, "Hey, thanks man." He said, standing up to shake Jimmy's hand.

"No problem, I'll be by in a couple of days. I'll see if I can't set up some lesson plans for her."

"Sounds good." Tony waved as Jimmy left his lab. His face suddenly fell when he realized that he now had the hard part of discovering more about Tim and Anna. He wasn't sure he wanted to go down this road yet, knowing that there were things about Tim he hadn't known. He was his brother and he was supposed to know everything, and yet, here he was with a sick niece, a mysterious family coming to take her away, and more family secrets coming to light.

He decided to take a seat in his hot rod for this one and opened the screen, "Take it away Jarvis." He ordered.

As he scrolled through and listened to Jarvis ramble on about Anna and Tim's history, he was finally coming up to speed on a few things.

As it turns out, Anna had quite a dark history. Turns out that her father had been arrested for drug dealership as well as severe child abuse when Anna was only fifteen years old. Evan was seventeen at that time. What was interesting was that after their father had been incarcerated he'd tried to get custody of Anna but failed. Anna eventually chose school to escape, where Evan chose money and work. There wasn't a whole lot on Evan, unfortunately, but it proved without a doubt that they were family.

There was something though that still made him suspicious, "Jarvis, why didn't Anna or Tim mention Evan in the will or list him under family?"

"I have no record of the decision, sir."

"Hmm." Tony murmured. There had to be more behind this. Was the situation just a case of family drama? Or was it something worse? They could have easily put Evan and Heather as guardians but chose Tony instead; he didn't know what to think.

Getting frustrated, Tony turned to medical records and just skimmed through them, listening to Jarvis ramble.

"Tim was labeled infertile by doctors in 2000, then- "

"Wait, what?!" Tony yelled.

He stared in disbelief at the screen; Tim couldn't conceive.

Those words rang in his head. _Infertile._ He thought back to that night at the party, Anna crying. Did she know Tim couldn't conceive? Was that why…? No, that couldn't be what had happened. It was a mistake on both their parts, she wouldn't do that to Tim…or did she?

He closed the documents and then decided to work on his suit. He just didn't want to think about it. But then…how was Sadie born? Was she even theirs?

"Jarvis?" he asked, deciding that he had to get to the bottom of this before it ate away at him, "Is Sadie biologically Anna's?"

He waited with bated breath, "Yes sir."

He breathed a sigh of relief, but that didn't answer the question of who her father was.

"What about Tim? Is she biologically his?"

"Records indicate that her DNA never matched her fathers."

So Sadie had a different father…who could it be if it wasn't Tim? He wracked his brain trying to figure it out, "Jarvis, when was Sadie born?

"October 12, 2001, 7 years ago."

"When were Tim and Anna married?"

"February 1, 2000."

Tony paled as a sudden realization hit him. He wasn't sure he wanted to ask…but he had to, "When was the wedding shower. The one I…" he paused, closing his eyes.

"January 15, 2000."

Tony didn't need to even do the math. He knew without a doubt; Sadie might just be his daughter.

…

"Ow!" Sadie yelped. Tony had told her he'd seen some debris in her hair, but had tugged too hard, pulling out strands. Kala looked up from her resting spot to see if Sadie was okay but immediately went back to resting, feeling no immediate danger at this time.

"Sorry." He said quickly, pocketing the strands quickly before she saw him, "Got it though." He shrugged.

She glared at him a little but quickly moved on. They were making some final touches to a flight stabilizer for an arm piece and she was looking ten times better than that morning. Tony on the other hand, was still reeling from the information he'd learned about Sadie's parents. He was doubtful and yet somehow hopeful at the same time. A part of him didn't want to accept that Sadie could possibly be his and yet, the thought of some other guy out there who'd had an affair with Anna, who could also be Sadie's father made him cringe inside. He decided that if he could at least compare DNA samples with her, maybe it could uncover the missing piece.

He decided to save it for later, when Sadie was in bed. That was the other issue he faced; what if he was her father? How would he tell her? Would he tell her? She was so young and had so much happen in her tiny life, this could potentially cause her more harm than give her some closure.

She asked him a question but he was so lost in thought he had her repeat it, "I said that the flight stabilizers look cool, but we should probably make sure that they-"

"We looked, it should be fine." He shrugged it off, once again focused intently on his suit.

"I really think we should check." She argued back firmly.

He finished connecting the pieces as Pepper came down.

"Pep's coming. You may need to get your medicine." He told her. Sadie's face fell but she hopped down to greet Pepper as she came in carrying a box and a cup of coffee.

"I've been buzzing you." Pepper said to Tony as she put the parcel down, "Have you been listening?"

"Yeah, I, what?" he said, absentmindedly.

"Obadiah's upstairs, he wants- "

"Yeah, great, I'll be right up." He said.

Pepper smiled and held out her hand, "It's also dinner time and medicine time." She informed them and then looked closely at what Tony was doing. He'd wrapped the arm piece around his hand and was adjusting it, "I thought you said you were done making weapons." She asked, a little sternly.

"It's a flight stabilizer!" Sadie chimed in, excitedly.

"She's right." Tony nodded, holding up the device, "Completely harmless." They heard the arm piece begin warming up before a loud bang and a bright light emitted with a resounding crash echoed through the garage. Tony was sent flying backwards onto the floor while Sadie and Pepper cringed, holding their faces protectively. Kala had rushed forward with a bark and stood protectively in front of Sadie.

"I wasn't expecting that…" Tony said weakly on the floor as Kala huffed at him.

"I told you to check it!" Sadie tutted with a shake of her head as Kala came over to make sure she was safe.

Pepper rolled her eyes and took Sadie upstairs, thankful that Children Services had not seen or heard that today.


	7. Mark II

Sadie watched as her uncle got into his silver suit, the Mark II. She was so excited to see him take off.

Kala, however, was hovering like a mother hen.

"Okay, Jarvis and Sadie will be on the line with me." Tony confirmed and grinned at Sadie as he put the mask on, "How do I look?" he asked her.

"Like a Transformer." She giggled.

He rolled his eyes, "Jarvis, you there?" he asked.

"I have indeed been uploaded, sir." Jarvis said, "We're online and ready."

"Can we start the virtual walk-around?" Tony asked.

"Importing preferences and calibrating virtual environment."

"Do a check on control surfaces." He ordered.

Sadie listened and watched in awe as Tony's suit was doing a check. She couldn't have been more excited to see how the it all came together and worked.

"Test complete. Preparing to power down and begin diagnostics."

"Aww." Sadie said sadly, "I wanted to see it fly!" she pouted.

Tony couldn't have agreed more, "Yeah. Tell you what. Do a weather and ATC check and start listening in on ground control."

"Sir, there are still terabytes of calculations needed before an actual flight is..."

"Jarvis!" Tony said, "Sometimes you got to run before you can walk."

He gave a thumbs up to Sadie, "Ready? In three, two, one."

Sadie squealed as Tony took off. She quickly ran to the monitor and smiled, "I see you! You're in the air!"

"Whew! This baby handles like a dream!" Tony said over the intercom.

As Sadie saw images of the ocean, the city, all the lights, she wished so badly that she could be up there with him. "Kala, this is so cool!" she smiled.

"All right let's see what this thing can do." Tony said as he flew straight up into the night sky, "What's SR-71's record?"

"The altitude record for fixed wing flight is 85,000 feet, sir." Jarvis said.

Sadie quickly looked up a map of altitude levels and grew worried, "Uncle Tony, that's too high!" she told him nervously.

"Records are made to be broken!" He said confidently as he ordered the suit higher.

"Sir, there is a potentially fatal buildup of ice occurring." Jarvis informed them.

"Uncle Tony stop!" Sadie cried.

He ignored her, and her heart fell when her worst fears were confirmed as she lost connection with him completely, "What happened! Uncle Tony?" she cried, "TONY!"

She yelped when she heard his cry of excitement blast over the intercom and she slumped back in her seat with relief.

She watched as he made it to their roof and waited to see how he'd land. For a minute she was feeling a sense of relief until a giant crash from above the garage was heard and she watched as her uncle fell through the ceiling. Kala dragged Sadie for cover and both found shelter under a desk. Sadie stared nervously at her uncle as he got doused by Dummy and she walked cautiously towards the wreckage. She just barely heard him over the sounds of fire extinguisher fluid and car alarms, "Bed time." He said, straining his voice painfully.

….

Sadie was sitting in Tony's lap as they listened to Jarvis's notes.

"Main transducer feels sluggish at plus 40 altitude. Hull pressurization is problematic." Tony said.

"I think ice is the problem." Sadie noted.

"A very astute observation miss." Jarvis said proudly, "Sir, if you intend to visit other planets, we should improve the exosystems."

"Connect to the sys. co. Have it reconfigure the shell metals. Use the gold titanium alloy from the seraphim tactical satellite."

"What will that do?" Sadie asked.

"That should ensure a fuselage integrity while maintaining power-to-weight ratio." Tony explained. Sadie thought about it, then nodded, yawning.

"Why aren't you in bed?" he asked her.

"I got my pajamas on." She said, smiling, "That doesn't mean it's time for bed."

"Sir, shall I render using proposed specifications?" Jarvis asked.

"Thrill me." Tony mumbled. Just then, both heard the television say his name and looked over.

"Tonight's red-hot red carpet is right here at the Disney Concert Hall, where Tony Stark's third annual benefit for the Firefighter's Family Fund has become the place to be for L.A.'s high society."

"You have a party at Disney?" Sadie smiled, perking up.

"Jarvis, we get an invite for that?" Tony asked.

"I have no record of an invitation, sir."

"Why not?" Sadie asked, her excitement waring down a little knowing she couldn't go if her uncle couldn't.

The news reporter kept talking, "Tony Stark hasn't been seen in public since his bizarre and highly controversial press conference. Some claim he's suffering from posttraumatic stress and has been bedridden for weeks. Other sources say he's preparing for fatherhood as the news of his recent fostering of his niece Sadie Stark has become a buzz. Whatever the case may be, no one expects an appearance from him tonight."

"The render is complete." Jarvis said.

Both looked over and Sadie gave it a look of disgust as a shiny gold suit filled the screen.

"A little ostentatious, don't you think?" Tony asked.

"What was I thinking? You're usually so discreet." Jarvis shot back. Sadie grinned at that.

"Tell you what. Throw a little hot-rod red in there." Tony nodded.

"Yes, that should help you keep a low profile." Jarvis drawled, "The render is complete."

Sadie looked at the complete render and smiled, "If you put purple in in, you'd be Optimus Prime!" she giggled.

"Hey, I like it." Tony argued, tickling her, "Jarvis, fabricate it. Paint it."

"Commencing automated assembly. Estimated completion time is five hours."

"Don't wait up for me, honey." Tony said, picking up a very sleepy Sadie.

"Alright, I'm going to that event, I'll be back later." He said, taking her to her room.

"I thought Jarvis said you weren't invited." Sadie said, rubbing her eyes.

"It's my event, I can go whether I want to or not." Tony defended.

Sadie grinned hopefully, "Can I go?"

"Nah, adults only." He shook his head.

She looked crestfallen, but he could tell she would pass out in no time. Kala walked with them up the stairs and hopped onto the bed once Sadie was settled.

"Jarvis will keep you company. I won't be long." He promised.

She nodded and let him tuck her in.

"Keep an eye on her, girl?" he asked Kala, who merely snorted and rested her head at Sadie's lap.

…..

Tony came back feeling terrible. What other dirty little secrets has Obi been keeping from him? What else has his company done to betray him? All he wanted right now was to punch something, but he decided to get out and get home before giving anyone that satisfaction.

He pulled in and shed his Red-Carpet clothes. He decided to check on Sadie and felt some sense of comfort knowing she was asleep safe and sound in her room. He was pleased to hear his rendering was complete and now all he needed to do was a few adjustments. As he got to work taking his mind off the Ten Rings, images of that cave and Yinsen came back in horrid spurts, giving him a massive headache. He decided he needed to see what they were doing with his weapons and turned on the news; it was worse than he imagined as he caught images of his captors, their victims, and the devastation they were causing.

He closed his eyes and focused on his arm piece when suddenly Jarvis spoke, "Sir, I have the DNA results in."

Tony didn't know if he could handle this tonight, but against his better judgement, he braced himself and gave Jarvis the permission to share the results.

"It is confirmed, Miss Stark is indeed your biological daughter." Jarvis said. And with that, Tony's worst fears were indeed laid before him.

He sat back and wondered why he chose to shock himself into oblivion a million times in one night. But it was done, and the truth was now clear. The reason Sadie felt different from his parents, the reason she was never mentioned to him. He couldn't even be mad knowing this about his brother, he had come back home wanting to make things right, just like Yinsen had told him to do. But all he had now was Pepper, his work, and now, Sadie…his daughter.

He looked up just in time to see a picture of a young girl who looked to be Sadie's age, crying and alone.

The image of Sadie crying struck a nerve with him, a very dangerous nerve. And without warning, all the betrayal and anger hit him so much he tossed the screwdriver he was using onto a shelf without a care. As he tested out his flight stabilizer, the only question that rang in his head was _why._ Why the hell did they never tell him? Why would Tim and Anna lie all these years. And why did he do it? Why did he betray his brother and leave him forever? Was he the monster Tim thought he was? Was he even worthy of being Sadie's father?

He had no idea what he was doing until he saw the broken glass because of his rage, and in an instant, he was satisfied.

It was time to go to work.


	8. I Am You

Sadie came downstairs, excited to see how Tony's suit looked and if it was functional now. She paused when she noticed a bunch of broken glass shattered all over the ground. She grew nervous until she heard Tony and Pepper talking loudly. She had a feeling it was about the broken windows. She stopped when she heard her name being spoken and waited, her hand on Kala's back to support herself.

"Tony, at least think about Sadie. She needs you." Pepper pleaded.

"Don't think I don't know that." Tony argued with her.

"Please, she loves you." Pepper said, "She doesn't need to lose any more family."

Tony was silent, and Sadie held her breath as Pepper continued, "I know you care about your niece and you have to prove that you deserve to keep her, this…won't prove that."

"I can prove myself without a problem, trust me." He shot back, "Pepper…she's…"

"What? What is it?" Pepper asked softly. Sadie leaned closer to hear, trying not to fall into the ground full of broken glass.

"Nothing." He said quickly, "It's nothing."

"Tony, I love her just as much and I do not want to lose her either, so you tell me right now what you're hiding about her!" Pepper demanded firmly.

There was a dramatic pause and Sadie was sweating at this point. The silence was so deafening she swore there was ringing in her ears.

"Seven years ago," Tony began, "I made the biggest mistake of my life and it drove my brother away."

Pepper seemed to wait for a moment before asking, "What happened, Tony?"

"I was drunk. She…Anna…was drunk." He ground out, sounding agitated at this point.

"Sadie's mom?" Pepper asked calmly.

"Yeah…" Tony sighed, "It was their wedding shower, she was marrying Tim, and me being the walking mistake came in and…ruined everything. As a result, Sadie was born."

"You…you're saying that…are you Sadie's father?" Pepper gasped.

Sadie stumbled back, her breathing rapid. She barely heard his response and was reduced to a heap on the ground as the simple word yes confirmed it. Tears sprang to her eyes as she remembered her father never looking at her with real love. All those times trying to make her different from Tony, when in reality…she was Tony. She was his daughter. She felt light headed very suddenly and everything became a blur and all she could hear was Kala's faint barking in the background.

…

Both Tony and Pepper raced to see what Kala was barking about. Tony cursed loudly when he saw Sadie had fallen into some of the broken glass on the floor. Pepper reached her first and lifted her head, shaking her, "Sadie? Sadie!" Pepper cried, "Tony she's not responding!"

Tony ran to grab her medicine and a juice bottle, "Jarvis! What's happening with Sadie?"

"I am unsure of her symptoms at this time." Jarvis explained, "Her insulin levels are normal at this time. It appears she may have fainted."

His head was racing as he rushed back over to Pepper who held onto Sadie, "Tony what's wrong with her?" she cried.

Tony shook his head, not sure himself, and ended up dropping all of her medicine on the floor. He roared in frustration, feeling helpless as a guardian and now as a parent.

"Jarvis, call Dr. Hill! We're bringing her in now!" he said, taking Sadie from Pepper's arms and rushing her to the car.

Pepper climbed in the front seat as he strapped Sadie in, Kala quickly jumping in after her. As he got in his car, Pepper gave him a sympathetic look, "It's going to be okay, Tony." She said softly. He had a feeling she said it mostly for herself but after their revelation earlier, he knew she said it to him as a way of showing comfort. He at least felt better knowing she was here now with him.

He prepared to get yelled at by her on the way to the hospital as he raced out of his garage. She surprised him by not saying a single word.

…

Tony paced the hospital floor in agitation. He rubbed his eyes, not sure what to do at this point. He'd never felt so helpless in his life, not even when he was held against his will. What made this whole thing worse was the knowledge that it was no longer just his niece in there, but his daughter. So many emotions crossed his mind and he didn't know how to keep some of it in. He looked over to see Pepper sitting in a chair, shaking her foot anxiously as they waited. He'd told her about Sadie, and now, the thought that he could break down at any minute in front of her gave him pause. He couldn't let her see him like this. And above all, he needed her to help him stop his company from doing any more damage. He trusted her to do this and regardless if she left, at least he knew this mission was in good hands with her.

"Pepper, I need you to go." He said calmly as he stood before her.

"No Tony." Pepper shook her head at him, "I'm fine, Sadie needs us- "

"Pepper…please, the best thing you can do for me right now is by going to my office and doing what I asked of you earlier." He said.

Pepper froze for a minute, recalling that discussion with Tony. What he was doing was dangerous and she couldn't in good faith allow him to do that to himself, or to Sadie, "Tony, please you have no idea the stress I am under. I can't…"

He smiled softly and sat down in a chair next to her, "I know…but I really need you to do this."

She sighed, "Can't it wait?"

"No." he said firmly.

"Tony, you know that I would help you with anything, but I cannot help you knowing the danger you could be put in."

He gave her a firm look, "You stood by my side all these years while I reaped the benefits of destruction." He spat, disgusted at what he used to be, "And now that I'm trying to protect the people that I put in harm's way, you're going to walk out? I'm doing this for you…for Sadie- "

"You're going to kill yourself, Tony!" Pepper cried, standing up and balling her fists, "Sadie needs you. I…need you." Pepper pleaded, "I'm not…" she turned away from him, her hand going to her head in frustration.

Tony stood and walked over to her, "I shouldn't be alive, unless it was for a reason. Sadie was put into my life for a reason at this time. I'm going to stop this. And then I'm going to do everything in my power to protect and save my daughter." He told her, affirming the fact that he was ready to become Sadie's father, "I'm not crazy, Pepper. I just finally know what I must do. And I know in my heart that it's right."

Pepper sighed and held out her hand, "Just try to stay in one piece with Sadie till I get back home?"

He gave her the flash drive and smiled, "Absolutely. Thank you, Miss Potts."

"Mr. Stark." She smiled, leaving.

"I'll call you." He yelled as she crossed the room. She stopped for a moment and turned to him, "You know you and Sadie are all I have too."

With that she was walking out of the hospital and Tony heaved a sigh, knowing the hard part was yet to come. He felt drained and yet, so motivated to change things. The floor seemed to swirl around him as he sat waiting to hear if Sadie, his daughter, would be alright.

"Mr. Stark?" Dr. Hill's voice came as a wakeup call.

Tony shot up and rushed over to the rather worn out man, "What happened?" he asked quickly, "Is she okay?"

"She's stable." The doctor nodded, "But it seems something really got her heart going way too fast for her to handle. It must have messed with her breathing and caused her to pass out. Honestly, I'm not quite sure what could have done that." He shrugged.

"Is she awake?" Tony asked, relieved that Sadie had only passed out.

"She's up and lucid now. I don't think she'll need to spend the night here. Just take it easy when you take her home." He nodded.

Tony nodded back and looked up, "Can I see her? I…there's something I need to tell her."

Dr. Hill gave him a strange look but agreed to it, "Sure, follow me."

Tony's heart raced, and he felt his breath grow ragged with every step. He needed to tell her. She deserved the truth, she was smart after all.

He reached Sadie's room and walked in. Kala was lying on the floor by the window and perked up when Tony arrived. Sensing that things were normal, she merely went back to looking out the window peacefully.

Sadie was sitting up in bed, relaxing against the pillows. She looked horribly tired and worn down.

The door shut leaving the two of them in her room alone in silence. Tony walked forward slowly and took a seat next to her bed. She seemed to be avoiding his gaze and instead chose to look over at the wall, away from him.

"Hey…you feel okay?" he asked her.

She ignored him and instead stared at the wall.

He sighed and rubbed the back of his neck. This wasn't like her really and he wasn't sure what to make of it.

"Listen…there's something I need to tell you…" he said as calmly as possible. His hands felt clammy and he wanted to just get this over with, praying Sadie would take the news well at least.

"I hate you." She whispered loudly, still staring at the wall.

He stared at her in confusion and shock, "What?"

"I said I hate you." She said a little louder this time.

He wasn't sure he was hearing her correctly and almost laughed, "Why?"

"You lied to me…everyone lied." She stated, glaring angrily at him.

"When have I ever lied to you?" he asked calmly, curious to hear what she was on about.

She stared deeply into his eyes that matched hers perfectly and let a tear fall, "I know…"

"Know what?" he asked.

"I know who you are. What you and my mom did."

Tony stared in disbelief, "How did you know?" and then he groaned when it hit him, "You heard."

She wiped the tear from her face and looked away, "I knew they never wanted me to be like you…but…I am you."

Tony looked at her sadly, "That wasn't…you weren't supposed to hear that." He sighed, putting his head in his hand.

"I finally know why they hated me." She cried.

"Kid, they didn't hate you- "Tony tried.

"No…you weren't there…they made sure I never read about physics or worked with technology, they looked at me different…my dad never kissed me."

Tony was heartbroken. He would never have suspected that Sadie was treated differently, all because she was Tony's daughter, not Tim's. But he refused to believe his own brother hated Sadie, "Sadie, Tim never hated you…he never would have taken care of you, kept you from me."

She stared at him, some of her anger dissipating.

"Everything you've been through, it's my fault. Your father didn't hate you, he hated me."

"Why would they lie?" she choked.

"Because we were stupid. I was stupid." He admitted, "I never should have betrayed my brother. They never should have lied to you." He said, sadly, "I should have been there for you."

"That's not your fault." She told him, "Would you have even wanted me?"

He thought about it for a moment and looked into her eyes, he couldn't lie to her, not when she'd been lied to her whole life, told she would die young. There was no denying who he was then, "I don't know…" he admitted, "Maybe, maybe not. But I do know that I want you now. I told you no one was taking you from me and I meant that."

She finally managed a smile for him and he returned it, realizing just how much she looked like him, acted like him…she was his daughter and now was his time to be the father she deserved.

"Let's go home." he nodded.

…

Tony was getting aggravated with Kala's barking. Not to mention Jarvis chose this moment to act up. He was trying to locate his phone and find out what was taking Pepper so long since Sadie had finally gone to bed.

He decided as his phone rang to put Kala outside, so he could have a moment to think. She tugged just as hard as he did to force her outside, but he couldn't risk Kala being a nut case for a minute to wake Sadie up.

He turned and found his phone was hiding on the couch, Pepper's name showing on the screen. He sat down and answered it when he was stuck with a sudden sense of numbness. His breathing was shallow and ragged, causing him to panic and freeze. He didn't know what had come over him and then he heard Obadiah speak softly next to his ear.

He looked over and saw that Obadiah had used his paralyzer on him, a gadget that had been denied use at his company for being unorthodox, not to mention unethical. Tony stared in disbelief as Obadiah sat down, a man he trusted like a father, and finally reveal his intentions, "When I ordered the hit on you," he said quietly, "I worried that I was killing the golden goose. But, you see," he went on as he got out a device, "It was fate that you survived that. You had one last golden egg to give."

Tony felt a million things in this moment; betrayal, fear, anger to name a few, but more than that he was worried, worried because his seven-year-old daughter was in the other room, alone and defenseless just like he was now and there was nothing he could do about it. He tried to look around, anything to get his muscles moving when he noticed a slight movement out of the corner of his eye. He stared behind Obadiah, straining to see and saw Sadie crouching behind the counter looking terrified.

He'd put Kala outside like an idiot, her only chance at protection. If she made a sound, Obadiah would see her.

Unfortunately, Obadiah noticed Tony was staring into the kitchen and looked behind him with a chuckle.

Sadie ducked quickly, and Tony could no longer see where she was.

"Is that you little Sadie? Come on out, it's just old Uncle Obi!" he called out ruthlessly.

Tony wished to God he could move, but all he could do was watch as Obadiah stalked towards the kitchen, taunting Sadie like it was a game.

Sadie herself was terrified, but not just for herself. She was scared for Tony. She tried desperately to be quiet and find a way to help him but felt helpless. As she caught his eye around the corner, she saw his eyes move towards the counter next to her. She looked up and saw an empty coffee cup. She looked to see where Obadiah was and quickly grabbed it, chucking it across the room towards the hallway.

Thankfully, Obadiah followed the noise, giving her a moment to run to her dad. He couldn't move or speak, and she knew more than anyone what that felt like as she tapped his shoulder nervously.

She heard Kala growling and barking outside and realized that she needed to open the door.

Before she could move, Tony's eyes widened, and she was grabbed from behind. She kicked and screamed as best she could but within seconds, Obadiah had covered her face with a cloth doused in chloroform. It didn't take long for Sadie to pass out.

"Shame, really." Obadiah drawled, "What to do with a little brat?" He tossed her onto the sofa next to Tony, "I'd leave her here, but she'd just help you out. And I'd let her walk, but she's seen too much. Looks like I'm left with putting her out of her misery." Obi joked as he set up his device and thrust it into Tony's chest piece. Tony sputtered and gasped for air as he pulled out Tony's only way of survival, "You just had to involve everyone, eh Tony?" Obadiah said with a sigh as he stared in awe at the arc reactor, "Oh well, she was going to die anyway. And as for Pepper…" He shrugged, putting the chest piece in a case.

Tony panted and watched in horror as Obadiah not only took his arc reactor, but Sadie as well.

Pepper was in danger. Sadie was in danger. Hell, he was in danger. But Obadiah made the biggest mistake of his life coming after Pepper and Sadie and if it took every last breath in him he was going to get Sadie back!

…

Sadie woke up groggy and cold. Her hands were bound behind her back and she was gagged. She moved slightly and felt a chill as the stone wall was musty and damp. She adjusted her eyes to the darkness and widened them in fear, remembering what had just happened.

Tony was in trouble! She was in trouble!

She struggled against her bonds when she heard a sound nearby and looked over to see Obadiah working on a large suit like Tony's. He must have heard her as he turned around and walked towards her menacingly. She shivered as he got down to her level, "Well, well. You have caused me an unnecessary amount of work I can't afford right now. What to do with you?" He mused.

She glared at him in response, wondering what he'd done with Tony.

"You know I ordered a hit on your parents too. Only problem? Somebody got them before I did. I'll have to thank the son of a bitch later." He laughed.

Sadie's eyes widened in terror. Her parents were murdered? She thought it was an accident.

Obadiah shrugged, "No hard feelings, you see, I just didn't need another Stark sticking their nose in my company."

Sadie felt tears forming in her eyes as he continued, "So, how we going to do this? So many choices..."

Sadie was still reeling from what she'd just heard. And all she could do was pant through her nose and stare in horror up at him.

"You're right, I'll just kill you now." He said, getting up to get his gun. He came back to Sadie who was trembling at this point. He held the gun to her neck and took out her gag.

"Any last words?" he asked.

She shut her eyes and sobbed loudly. She heard him pull the trigger but without warning there was a loud crash resounding in the building.

"Damnit." He muttered, tossing his gun and running to his suit.

Sadie breathed heavily and continued trying to get out, crying softly as she did. Footsteps were heard coming towards her and she held her breath, scared it was Obadiah coming to finish her off.

"Sadie!" Pepper's voice rang in the room. She bent down to help remove Sadie's bonds. Sadie gave her the fiercest hug.

"It's okay, it's gonna be okay." Pepper whispered picking her up carefully and holding her protectively.

"Pepper! He's here!" Sadie cried.

"Shh…we'll find him." Pepper said, taking her towards some men in suits who were armed. One of them stepped forward, "Miss Stark is he here?" he asked.

Sadie nodded quickly as the other agents rushed past her.

"Where did he go? Did you see?" he continued.

"No." Sadie sobbed, "But he has a suit like Uncle Tony's."

He nodded, then smiled warmly at her, "We'll find him."

"Where's Uncle Tony! Is he okay?!" Sadie cried.

"Shh. Let's get you out of here." Pepper said calmly, though deep down, she was just as nervous as Sadie was.

She carried Sadie past some chains hanging on a wall and they both heard an odd sound coming from behind it.

"Pepper…" Sadie whispered in fear.

Pepper tightened her hold, walking carefully towards the noise.

Sadie screamed when she saw the two lights for eyes shining and a massive machine come towards them.

Pepper ran, holding on to Sadie for dear life, not once looking behind her. Sadie buried her head into Pepper's neck, too afraid to look back.

They made it out just in time. Pepper put Sadie down who clung to her skirt. She pulled out her phone and Sadie looked up as she said Tony's name, feeling a sense of relief that he could be okay.

"Oh God, Tony" Pepper cried, "Obadiah's insane, he's- "

Sadie and Pepper turned as they both heard crunching sounds right behind them.

Pepper put herself in front of Sadie, shielding her.

"Where do you think you're going?" Obadiah growled from inside the suit.

Pepper yelped and kept a hold on Sadie to push her out of the way should he fire at her. She wasn't about to let anyone hurt Sadie as long as she was there.

"Your services are no longer required, Miss Potts." He growled, holding out his arm to fire at them.

"HEY!" A voice yelled from above. Everyone turned, and Sadie was relieved to see Tony, alive and flying in to save the day.

"Pepper get Sadie out of here and hide!" Tony yelled at them.

Pepper immediately grabbed Sadie and ran as quickly as she could to do as he said, no arguments needed.

For a while, Sadie only heard what she guessed was the chaos being caused by Obadiah fighting Tony. The worst feeling was not knowing if he would be alright.

"Pepper," she whimpered, "is he okay?"

"I don't know." Pepper said, trying to calm her down, "But I do know that I am not going to let anything happen to you. I promise."

She pulled Sadie in for a hug when they both looked up to see a crash headed towards the Stark Building, right where they were.

Pepper held onto Sadie as they heard a crash come from above them on top of the building. They both waited, coughing with bated breath when Tony's voice contacted Pepper.

"Potts." Tony said in a hushed voice.

"Tony! Oh, my God, are you okay?" she cried. Sadie looked up at her hopefully.

"I'm almost out of power." He explained, "I've got to get out of this thing. Is Sadie alright?"

"Yes, she's fine, just scared." Pepper said.

"Hang on, I'll be right there."

They all heard another resounding crash as his voice cut out.

Sadie looked up nervously, hearing multiple sounds and praying Tony was still okay.

"Potts?"

"Tony!" Pepper called. Once again, Sadie was relieved to hear her say his name.

"This isn't working. We're going to have to overload the reactor and blast the roof."

"What's he saying?" Sadie tugged at her arm.

"Ah…" Pepper sputtered, "He wants to blast the roof…" she explained to her, "But, how are you going to do that?" she asked.

"You're going to do it." Tony explained, "Go to the central console, open all the circuits. When I get clear of the roof, I'll let you know. You're going to hit the master bypass button. It's going to fry everything up here. Just keep Sadie safe, whatever you do, keep her out of there."

Pepper looked at Sadie and agreed.

Sadie stared at her nervously, "What's happening?" she asked.

"I need to go inside and hit the master bypass button. You have to stay here." She explained.

Sadie shook her head vehemently, "No, I'm coming with you."

"Sadie, please, you have to stay here and stay safe." Pepper ordered, getting up.

Sadie made to follow her, but Pepper held her hand out, "Sadie, I mean it, stay here!"

Without another word, Sadie watched as she made her way into the building.

Once she was inside and out of Sadie's view did Sadie walk towards the front of the building. She knew they were only trying to keep her safe, but no way was she going to sit and wait when Tony needed them right now. She walked inside and saw Pepper got towards the mainframe. She followed and waited nervously, looking up in time to see Tony still fighting with Obadiah.

"It's ready, Tony! Get off the roof!" Pepper called.

"Pepper! Time to hit the button!" Tony called down to them.

"You told me not to!" she yelled back. Sadie rushed forward.

"Push it!" he yelled.

"But you'll die!" Pepper exclaimed.

Sadie stared from Tony to Pepper and knew what she needed to do. Without another thought, she rushed forward and slammed her hand on the button.

"Oh my God! Sadie!" Pepper yelled, grabbing her and running out the door. Both hit the pavement after the initial blast. Sadie groaned next to Pepper and looked up nervously, wondering where he was…her dad…

It was just deathly quiet.

Tony was still on the roof, out cold. A part of him wondered if he was dead. But as he opened his eyes, he felt his chest piece glow. His ears stopped ringing in time to hear Pepper calling his name and after her call to him, a small voice that got his heart pumping.

" _Daddy!"_


	9. Epilogue

Epilogue

"Why are they calling you Iron Man?" Sadie giggled, sitting next to Tony, "Your suits not even iron!"

"I don't know, it's kind of catchy." Tony smiled as he read the paper, "It's got a nice ring to it."

"It's not accurate at all. The suit's a gold-titanium alloy." Sadie argued.

"But it's kind of evocative, the imagery, anyway." Tony insisted.

Pepper merely rolled her eyes at the two as she made finishing touches on him before he went out for his press conference. Sadie had been told to wear a nice dress for the day, but she had no clue why she had to. She wasn't expecting to go up with him to lie to everyone about his suit. Either way, she was happy that she got to come along with him and watch the press conference.

Agent Coulson came in just then, handing Tony some notecards and smiling at Sadie.

"Miss Stark." He greeted her.

She smiled back, "Agent."

"Here's your alibi." He said to Tony, "You were on your yacht. We have port papers that put you in Avalon all night and sworn statements from 50 of your guests."

Tony shrugged, "See, I was thinking maybe we should say it was just Pepper and me alone on the island."

"She was babysitting your niece." Coulson interrupted, "That's what happened. Just read it, word for word." He added sharply.

"There's nothing about Stane here." Tony commented, noticing how Sadie's eyes darkened somewhat. She had reported to him what Obadiah had told her about her parents and now he had people looking into their possible murder.

"That's being handled." Coulson explained, "He's on vacation. Small aircrafts have such a poor safety record." He smirked.

"But what about the whole cover story that it's a bodyguard? He's my... I mean, is that...That's kind of flimsy, don't you think?" Tony argued.

"This isn't my first rodeo, Mr. Stark." Coulson said with a note of finality and a hint of annoyance, "Just stick to the official statement, and soon, this will all be behind you. You've got 90 seconds. Just enough time."

He began to leave out the door when Pepper stopped him, "Agent Coulson, I just wanted to say thank you very much for all of your help."

"That's what we do. You'll be hearing from us." He smiled.

"From the Strategic Homeland..." she tried

"Just call us S.H.I.E.L.D." he grinned as he left.

Pepper turned and handed Tony an envelope before walking away. He sat down and tapped it on his knee before taking a breath, "So…I was able to pull some strings and get some business done in the past few hours."

He held out the envelope for her, looking grim, "Read it and weep."

Sadie took it from him nervously and pulled out some papers. She quickly scanned the first page and gasped, looking from him to the document in excitement.

He grinned, "Did I say weep? I meant weep for joy."

"I'm your daughter now?" she smiled excitedly.

"You always were, if you want to get technical." He shrugged, "But, if you notice, it's a motion to adopt. I still have to jump through some hoops but, I think that won't be a problem."

"So…what are you telling people?" she asked.

He looked somewhat uncomfortable with that, but Pepper jumped in, "We will tell them the truth. You're Tony's daughter and he's fighting to get custody of you. Whether or not the story looks good, doesn't matter." She explained.

Sadie could care less. This document was proof enough! Tony Stark was her father and she was his daughter! She felt a weight lifted from her and such joy that she couldn't contain her excitement as she barreled into him for the fiercest hug.

"Okay! Nice to know you're okay with it." He chuckled, hugging her back, "Don't worry, I'm standing by my promise. You're my kid and I'm not letting anyone take you from me every again."

Sadie stared proudly at him.

"It's time." Pepper said, wiping her eyes to avoid smearing her makeup, "You two get your butts on a roll!"

Sadie got up and bounced towards the door, "Come on Kala!" she called to her dog.

"You know, it's actually not that bad." Tony said as Pepper helped him with his jacket, "Even I don't think I'm Iron Man."

"You're not Iron Man." She grumbled.

"Am so."

"You're not."

"All right, suit yourself," he shrugged, turning to her, "but you know, if I were Iron Man, I'd have this girlfriend who knew my identity, a kid with a boat load of issues and they'd both be a wreck because they'd always be worrying that I was going to die, yet so proud of the man I'd become. My girlfriend would be wildly conflicted, which would only make her crazier about me." He rambled then turned to make sure Sadie was gone, "Tell me you never think about that night."

"What night?" she asked.

"You know." He raised his eyebrows.

"Are you talking about the night that we danced and went up on the roof. And then you went downstairs to get me a drink, and you left me there, by myself?" she smirked, "Is that the night you're talking about?"

He looked awkward and both heard some giggling by the door and turned to see Sadie laughing at them.

"Will that be all, Mr. Stark?" Pepper smirked.

"Yes, that will be all, Miss Potts." He said and turned to glare at Sadie, who continued to laugh at his rather awkward moment.

She must not have been expecting to go up on the stage with him and seemed nervous as camera lights danced in front of her and people shouted, making her agitated. Tony picked her up and walked to the podium.

"Okay," he cleared his throat, "We'll get the good stuff out of the way first." He turned to Sadie, "This little one, is my daughter, Sadie. I'm planning on gaining custody of her within the year."

The reporters buzzed and began to ask questions quickly, but he held up a hand, "I ask that you respect my daughter's privacy regarding this. We'll keep you posted as the adoption makes progress. But in the meantime, isn't she adorable!"

A few people laughed, and Sadie gave her dad an annoyed look before he put her down. She went to go stand next to Rhodey who gave her a quick hug and held onto her hand.

Some reporters were still taking her picture and she hoped that she wouldn't be up there much longer. But she also didn't mind as she watched her dad continue to make a fool of himself. But despite it all, she was proud of him and proud to be his daughter. Her life was changing and for the good. Yes, she was sick, and she didn't know how much longer she had, but at least she could spend what was left of her life with her father.

She ignored all the snarky reporters and doubters who shot questions at him. He began to ramble so much, both she and Rhodey stepped forward and whispered at the same time for him to just read the cards.

He seemed to calm down and she gave him a thumbs up when he turned to smile at her.

"The truth is…" he said. He looked at Sadie quickly and then back at the crowd, and for some reason, she had a feeling she knew what was coming. She would have yelled if her brain wasn't in shock mode.

"I am Iron Man." He declared.


End file.
